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Green electrical discharge milling of fuel cell bipolar plate flow channels using a vegetable-oil-in-water sustainable working fluid.

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Title: Green electrical discharge milling of fuel cell bipolar plate flow channels using a vegetable-oil-in-water sustainable working fluid.
Authors: Liu, Tianyu1,2 (AUTHOR), Ji, Renjie1,2 (AUTHOR) jirenjie@163.com, Wang, Chunge3 (AUTHOR), Wang, Mengran1,2 (AUTHOR), Xu, Zihao1,2 (AUTHOR), Li, Haoze1,2 (AUTHOR), Ma, Jianmin1,2 (AUTHOR), Wang, Lixin1,2 (AUTHOR), Meng, Fanbo1,2 (AUTHOR), Han, Dahao1,2 (AUTHOR), Cheng, Yongjie1,2 (AUTHOR)
Source: International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Sep2026, Vol. 146 Issue 4, p2441-2460. 20p.
Subjects: Sustainability, Working fluids, Proton exchange membrane fuel cells, Electric metal-cutting, Microchannel flow, Surface roughness, Fuel cell electrodes, Carbon dioxide mitigation
Abstract: Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are highly competitive clean energy conversion devices. Micro flow channels on metallic bipolar plates (BPs) determine water management and power generation efficiency, but their high-quality machining remains challenging. Electrical discharge milling (ED-milling) is well-suited for machining difficult-to-cut conductive materials and holds promise for fabricating flow channels on metal BPs, while traditional ED-milling suffers from unstable discharge and environmental risks due to unsustainable working fluids. This work develops a novel eco-friendly vegetable-oil-in-water (VOW) working fluid for green ED-milling of BPs. The influences of VOW on machining accuracy, surface characteristics, fuel cell performance, as well as process energy consumption, economic cost, and carbon emissions are systematically studied. Results indicate that VOW contributes to uniform discharge, excellent chip removal and favorable hydrophilicity. It induces unique wavy microstructures on flow channel surfaces, effectively improving water drainage and mass transfer. Compared with deionized water (DW) and white oil (WO), VOW reduces surface roughness by 26.31% and 42.11%, decreases voltage loss by 10.24% and 20.39%, and increases average power density by 7.56% and 18.31%, respectively. Meanwhile, VOW reduces pulse energy consumption, total machining cost, and carbon emissions by up to 64.0%, 70.4%, and 71.8%, respectively, showing superior sustainability. It also outperforms commercial stamped BPs. This study provides a sustainable and high-efficiency machining solution for high-performance PEMFC bipolar plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
Description
Abstract:Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are highly competitive clean energy conversion devices. Micro flow channels on metallic bipolar plates (BPs) determine water management and power generation efficiency, but their high-quality machining remains challenging. Electrical discharge milling (ED-milling) is well-suited for machining difficult-to-cut conductive materials and holds promise for fabricating flow channels on metal BPs, while traditional ED-milling suffers from unstable discharge and environmental risks due to unsustainable working fluids. This work develops a novel eco-friendly vegetable-oil-in-water (VOW) working fluid for green ED-milling of BPs. The influences of VOW on machining accuracy, surface characteristics, fuel cell performance, as well as process energy consumption, economic cost, and carbon emissions are systematically studied. Results indicate that VOW contributes to uniform discharge, excellent chip removal and favorable hydrophilicity. It induces unique wavy microstructures on flow channel surfaces, effectively improving water drainage and mass transfer. Compared with deionized water (DW) and white oil (WO), VOW reduces surface roughness by 26.31% and 42.11%, decreases voltage loss by 10.24% and 20.39%, and increases average power density by 7.56% and 18.31%, respectively. Meanwhile, VOW reduces pulse energy consumption, total machining cost, and carbon emissions by up to 64.0%, 70.4%, and 71.8%, respectively, showing superior sustainability. It also outperforms commercial stamped BPs. This study provides a sustainable and high-efficiency machining solution for high-performance PEMFC bipolar plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:02683768
DOI:10.1007/s00170-026-18950-5