Thermal management of portable micro fuel cell stacks

A prototype of a CamCorder with a PEM (polymer electrolyte membranes) fuel cell system consisting of a stack of fifteen bipolar plates was developed to deliver a maximum output power of 9 W. This system replaces the Li-ion battery pack normally used as an energy source for the camera. A thermal model for the fuel cell stack was developed and validated by thermal measurements. The model was used to study different cooling methods and the integration of fuel cells into portable electronic products. A new method of stack cooling was developed in which most of the heat is transferred by means of thermal conduction via the bipolar plates and then distributed to external cooling devices. In this way, system miniaturization was achieved and weight and costs were kept to a minimum by reducing the number of ancillary components.