Optimal geometry selection for the microchannel in bipolar plates of PEM fuel cells from a multi-criteria decision analysis point of view

This study investigates the manufacturing process of metallic bipolar plates with a thickness of 0.1 mm the using stamping process. Interaction between geometrical parameters is a significant challenge for predicting and optimizing filling depth and thinning percentage in the formation of sheets. This research employs multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods to ascertain the optimal combination of the geometrical parameters, considering maximum depth of filling and minimum thickness distribution. Techniques for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and multi-objective optimization based on ratio analysis (MOORA) were used for alternative ranking. At first, this research combined the bipolar plate parameters at different levels by using the experimental design, simulation, and experimentally testing it on the workpiece. Then, to choose the best combination of parameters to reach the optimal level of the filling and thickness percentage, the results of the tests have been evaluated using the MCDM method. The results have shown that alternative #21 (channel depth of 0.55 mm, channel width of 0.6 mm, rib width of 1.3 mm, corner radius of 0.25 mm, and draft angle of 20 degrees) exhibits the best microchannel geometry in the stamping of metallic bipolar plates made of stainless steel. On the other hand alternative #14 (channel depth of 0.75 mm, channel width of 0.6 mm, rib width of 1.1 mm, corner radius 0.15 mm, and draft angle of 10 degrees\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$<^>\circ$$\end{document}) has the lowest rank in both approaches. The results presented in this research are important for manufacturing industries that seek to improve formation capabilities with this process.