固態氧化物燃料電池是一個乾淨的能源轉換裝置，其不需經由燃燒過程，便可將燃料的化學能直接轉換成電能。雙極板是固態氧化燃料物電池的重要元件之一，其主要功能是使燃料氣體與空氣能均勻分佈進入活動反應區，來增加燃料的利用率。本研究使用染劑來針對一平板式SOFC雙極版之流道，以導流板設計佐以流場觀測，實驗量測分析雙極板流道流場之均勻度和速度分佈，並探討不同雙極板之流道流場分佈情形，以及雙極板在加入導流板後，導流板對於流道流場分佈有何影響。實驗結果顯示，雙極板兩進氣口中間凸出的部分距流道入口的長度，對於流體在雙極板流道內的分佈影響不大。反觀，實際影響流體在雙極板流道內的分佈，主要是受進氣口扇形區域的幅度大小與流道出口處距離排氣口的距離等影響。而藉由使用導流板，可使流道流場能均勻滲透通過電極，以增加電池的整體效能。 Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a clean energy conversion device. It converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly into the electric energy without combustion. The bipolar plate is a key component of SOFCs. The major function of the bipolar plate is to distribute uniformly the gaseous fuel and air over the active areas and thus increases the efficiency of fuel usage. This thesis simulates experimentally the flow behaviors in the channels of the bipolar plate of a planar SOFC using flow dye visualization. Focuses are on the uniformity of the flow in the channels, measurements of the mean velocity distributions, and effects of flow Reynolds number. The results show that the influence of the distance from the inlet of channels to the middle prominent part between the two inlets of the bipolar plate is insignificant for the flow uniformity in the channels. Two important factors that influence the flow distribution of the channels in the bipolar plate are formed to be the range of fan-shaped area near the inlet and the distance from the outlet of the channels to the final outlet. Moreover, using the guide vanes in the bipolar plate can make the flow distribution of the channels much more uniformly over the electrodes and thus could increase the whole efficiency of fuel cells.
