CN115732717A - Sealing structure of fuel cell, method for manufacturing the same, and fuel cell - Google Patents
Sealing structure of fuel cell, method for manufacturing the same, and fuel cell Download PDFInfo
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- CN115732717A CN115732717A CN202111019770.7A CN202111019770A CN115732717A CN 115732717 A CN115732717 A CN 115732717A CN 202111019770 A CN202111019770 A CN 202111019770A CN 115732717 A CN115732717 A CN 115732717A
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- membrane electrode
- fuel cell
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
- Y02E60/50—Fuel cells
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Abstract
The present application provides a sealing structure of a fuel cell, the fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly and conductive separators respectively disposed at both sides of the membrane electrode assembly, the sealing structure including: the conductive separator having a sealing protrusion disposed at an edge of the conductive separator and protruding toward the membrane electrode assembly; and a sealing frame formed around an edge of the membrane electrode assembly; wherein the sealing frame is provided with a sealing undercut having a shape corresponding to that of the sealing protrusion such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion is received in the sealing undercut and is held in elastic contact with the sealing undercut. The present application also provides a method of manufacturing a sealing structure of a fuel cell and a fuel cell including the sealing structure. The sealing structure of the fuel cell can provide better sealing effect, is convenient for efficient production and has lower cost.
Description
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of fuel cells, and more particularly, to a sealing structure of a fuel cell, a method of manufacturing the same, and a fuel cell including the same.
Background
To address the increasing global warming, air pollution and energy consumption issues, the automotive industry is transitioning from internal combustion engine powered vehicles to electric vehicles. Among all electric vehicles, an electric vehicle powered by a fuel cell is the most prominent one. Fuel cells are typically comprised of a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), bipolar plates (BPP), end plates, and a fixture, all of which are assembled together to form a stack. In a fuel cell, the BPP and the MEA are pressed together to maintain electrical contact, and form a sealed region where fuel gas, oxidizing gas, and the like react.
As shown in fig. 1, the conventional fuel cell generally includes a membrane electrode assembly 20 and conductive separators 10 (i.e., bipolar plates or unipolar plates) disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly 20, the conductive separators 10 and the membrane electrode assembly 20 being in contact to form fuel gas channels 13 and oxidant gas channels 14. The conductive separator 10 is also provided with a coolant channel 12. In this fuel cell, the sealing structure includes sub-gaskets 30 formed around the membrane electrode assembly 20 and sealing protrusions 11 at the edges of the conductive separators 10, wherein the sub-gaskets 30 are sandwiched between the corresponding sealing protrusions 11 and the sealability is ensured by the elastic force of the sealing protrusions 11. Since the contact between the sub-gasket 30 and the sealing protrusion 11 is not reliable and the elastic force of each sealing protrusion 11 is not uniform, it is generally required to coat a fluorine rubber (FKM) 31 between the sealing protrusion 11 and the sub-gasket 30 to improve the contact therebetween and secure the sealing effect. However, at low temperatures, for example, 10 degrees below zero, the sealing effect of the fluororubber 31 becomes poor and may cause leakage of the fuel gas. In addition, the components of the subgasket 30 (e.g., the silicone rubber 32) typically need to be embedded within the catalyst layer 22 and the gas diffusion layer 23 on both sides of the proton exchange membrane 21 of the membrane electrode assembly 30. This requires very time consuming machining and assembly procedures and has a low material utilization.
Therefore, there is a need for improvement of the existing sealing structure of the fuel cell and the manufacturing method thereof to improve the sealing effect of the fuel cell, further simplify the production process and reduce the production cost.
Disclosure of Invention
The present application aims to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and provides a sealing structure of a fuel cell, a manufacturing method thereof, and a fuel cell including the sealing structure, which can make the sealing effect of the sealing structure of the fuel cell better, and can further simplify the production process and reduce the cost.
To this end, the present application provides a sealing structure of a fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly and conductive separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly, respectively, the sealing structure including: the conductive separator having a sealing protrusion disposed at an edge of the conductive separator and protruding toward the membrane electrode assembly; and a sealing frame formed around an edge of the membrane electrode assembly; wherein the sealing frame is provided with a sealing undercut having a shape corresponding to the shape of the sealing protrusion such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion is received within and held in resilient contact with the sealing undercut.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the sealing frame is integrated with the edge of the membrane electrode assembly by injection molding.
According to an embodiment of the application, the sealing lower recess comprises a plate portion and a lateral extension portion extending laterally from the plate portion and forming with the plate portion a lower recess space for receiving the sealing protrusion.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the sealing frame further comprises a connection portion connected with an edge of the membrane electrode assembly, and a portion having a reduced thickness is provided between the connection portion and the lateral extension portion.
According to an embodiment of the application, the height of the lateral extension is 10% to 70% of the height of the sealing protrusion.
According to an embodiment of the application, the sealing frame comprises silicone rubber or ethylene propylene diene monomer.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the sealing protrusion is formed by bending or punching a portion of the conductive separator, and the sealing protrusion defines an inner space.
According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a manufacturing method of a sealing structure of a fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly and conductive separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly, respectively, the manufacturing method including: providing an electrically conductive separator plate having a sealing protrusion disposed at an edge of the electrically conductive separator plate and protruding toward the membrane electrode assembly; forming a sealing frame around an edge of the membrane electrode assembly, the sealing frame being provided with a sealing undercut having a shape corresponding to that of the sealing protrusion; and assembling the conductive spacer and the sealing frame such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion is received within and held in resilient contact with the sealing lower recess.
According to an embodiment of the present application, forming a sealing frame around an edge of the membrane electrode assembly includes: cutting a proton exchange membrane, a catalyst layer, and a gas diffusion layer for forming the membrane electrode assembly, and placing the cut proton exchange membrane, catalyst layer, and gas diffusion layer in a mold; and injecting a material for forming the sealing frame into the mold such that the sealing frame is formed at an edge of the membrane electrode assembly.
According to still another aspect of the present application, there is provided a fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell includes the sealing structure of the fuel cell as described above.
The sealing structure of the fuel cell can provide better sealing effect, is convenient for efficient production and has lower cost.
Drawings
Exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, it being understood that the following description of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative of the present application and not limiting of the scope of the present application, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a sealing structure of a prior art fuel cell;
fig. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a seal structure of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a manufacturing method of a sealing structure of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application.
Detailed Description
Preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to examples. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these exemplary embodiments are not meant to limit the present application in any way. Furthermore, the features in the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other without conflict. In the drawings, other components and steps are omitted for the sake of brevity, but this does not indicate that the seal structure of the fuel cell of the present application and the fuel cell including the seal structure may not include other components, nor that the method of manufacturing the seal structure of the fuel cell of the present application may not include other steps. It should be understood that the sizes, proportions and numbers of parts in the drawings are not intended to limit the present application.
As shown in fig. 2, the fuel cell to which the seal structure of the present application is applied includes a membrane electrode assembly 20 and conductive separators 10 respectively disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly 20, the conductive separators 10 and the membrane electrode assembly 20 are in contact to form a fuel gas channel 13 and an oxidizing gas channel 14, and the conductive separators 10 are further provided with a coolant channel 12. The conductive separator 10 is shown in fig. 2 as a bipolar plate, i.e., a combination of a cathode plate and an anode plate, but the present application is not limited thereto and the conductive separator 10 may also be implemented as a unipolar plate. The membrane electrode assembly 20 includes a proton exchange membrane 21 and a catalyst layer 22 and a gas diffusion layer 23 sequentially disposed on both sides of the proton exchange membrane 21. Since the structure and function of the conductive separator 10 and the membrane electrode assembly 20 are known in the art, they will not be described in further detail herein.
According to an embodiment of the present application, a sealing structure of a fuel cell includes an electrically conductive separator plate 10 having a sealing protrusion 11 provided at an edge of the electrically conductive separator plate 10 and protruding toward a membrane electrode assembly 20, and a sealing frame 40 formed around an edge 24 of the membrane electrode assembly 20, wherein the sealing frame 40 is provided with a sealing undercut 41, and the shape of the sealing undercut 41 corresponds to the shape of the sealing protrusion 11 such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion 11 is received within the sealing undercut 41 and is held in elastic contact with the sealing undercut 41.
Compared with the prior art, the sealing structure of the present application replaces the sub-gasket 30 (see fig. 1) of the prior art with the sealing frame 40 formed around the membrane electrode assembly 20, and the sealing depressed portion 41 of the sealing frame 40 forms a concavo-convex shape fitting with the sealing protrusion 11 of the conductive separator 10 and maintains an elastic contact configuration, so that a sealing structure with higher reliability can be formed. In addition, since fluororubber is not required, a good seal can be provided even in a severe state such as a low temperature, vibration and aged state.
As shown in fig. 2, the seal depressed portion 41 includes a plate portion 42 and a lateral extension portion 43, the lateral extension portion 43 extending laterally from the plate portion 42 and forming a depressed space with the plate portion 42 for receiving the seal projection 11. The plate portion 42 is in elastic contact with the end of the sealing protrusion 11 to provide a primary sealing function, and the lateral extension 43 is in elastic contact with the side of the sealing protrusion 11 to provide a secondary sealing function, thereby providing a more reliable seal. Two lateral extensions 43 may be provided on each side of the plate portion 42, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, in the case where the conductive separator 10 includes a plurality of sealing protrusions 11, the sealing frame 40 may be provided with more than two lateral extensions 43.
As shown in fig. 2, the sealing frame 40 further includes a connecting portion 44, the connecting portion 44 being connected to the edge 24 of the membrane electrode assembly 20, and a portion 45 having a reduced thickness being provided between the connecting portion 44 and the lateral extension 43. A certain space is generally provided between the sealing protrusion 11 and the reaction region of the conductive separator 10 (which corresponds approximately to the mea 20) to distribute the fuel gas or the oxidant gas, and therefore, by providing a reduced thickness portion between the connecting portion 44 and the lateral extension portion 43, the effective distribution region can be further enlarged, making the passage area larger, and facilitating the operation of the fuel cell.
To ensure a sufficient sealing effect, the height of the lateral extension 43 may be 10% to 70% of the height of the sealing protrusion 11. If the height of lateral extension 42 is too small, then an adequate seal may not be provided, whereas if the height of lateral extension 42 is too large, the elasticity of lateral extension 42 becomes weaker and an adequate seal may not be provided.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the sealing frame 40 may be formed integrally with the edge 24 of the membrane electrode assembly 20 by injection molding. This can simplify the production process and reduce the production cost. The formation of the sealing frame will be further described below in conjunction with the method of manufacturing the sealing structure of the fuel cell of the present application.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the sealing frame 40 may include silicon rubber or ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, which has excellent low-temperature properties and elasticity.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the sealing protrusion 11 may be formed by bending or punching a portion of the conductive separator 10, and the sealing protrusion 11 defines an inner space. The sealing protrusion 11 formed by bending or punching the conductive spacer 10 may provide the sealing protrusion 11 with a certain elasticity, which is more beneficial for sealing. In addition, the inner space of the sealing protrusion 11 may be used for transporting various fluids or other purposes.
It should be noted that fig. 2 shows only the sealing structure of the left half of the fuel cell, and a complete fuel cell may also include sealing structures at other locations. For example, for a rectangular or square fuel cell, a seal structure may also be included at the right half, front end, and rear end, and the seal structure at different locations may take a form similar to that shown in fig. 2. In addition, fig. 2 shows only one fuel cell unit of the fuel cell, but the fuel cell may include a plurality of fuel cell units stacked together, each of which may employ the sealing structure shown in fig. 2.
A method of manufacturing a seal structure of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application, which includes a membrane electrode assembly 20 and conductive separators 10 respectively disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly 20, is described below with reference to fig. 3.
According to an embodiment of the present application, a method of manufacturing a sealing structure of a fuel cell includes the steps of:
step S1: providing a conductive separator 10 having a sealing protrusion 11 disposed at an edge of the conductive separator 10 and protruding toward a membrane electrode assembly 20;
step S2: forming a sealing frame 40 around the edge 24 of the membrane electrode assembly 20, the sealing frame 40 being provided with a sealing lower recess 41, the shape of the sealing lower recess 41 corresponding to the shape of the sealing protrusion 11;
and step S3: the conductive separator 10 and the sealing frame 40 are assembled such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion 11 is received in the sealing lower recess 41 and is held in elastic contact with the sealing lower recess 41.
The manufacturing method of the present application can form a sealing structure in which the seal undercut 41 of the sealing frame 40 and the seal protrusion 11 of the conductive separator 10 are fitted in a specific shape and maintain elastic contact, with high reliability.
According to a further embodiment of the application, step S2: forming the sealing frame 40 around the edge 24 of the mea 20 includes:
step S21: cutting the proton-exchange membrane 21, the catalyst layer 22, and the gas diffusion layer 23 for forming the membrane-electrode assembly 20, and placing the cut proton-exchange membrane 21, the catalyst layer 22, and the gas diffusion layer 23 in a mold (not shown);
step S22: the material used to form the sealing frame 40 is injected into the mold such that the sealing frame 40 is formed at the edge 24 of the mea 20.
The sealing frame 40 and the membrane electrode assembly 20 are formed as one body by injection molding, which can simplify the manufacturing process, shorten the processing time, and be suitable for mass production, and in addition, can improve the material utilization.
According to another embodiment of the present application, there is also provided a fuel cell including the sealing structure of the fuel cell as described above.
The present application can form a sealing structure having a better sealing effect by a shape-fitting between a sealing undercut of a sealing frame formed at an edge of a membrane electrode assembly and a sealing protrusion of a conductive separator, and can maintain high reliability even in a state such as low temperature, vibration, and aging. In addition, the sealing structure of this application is convenient for produce high-efficiently, and the cost is lower.
The present application is described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments. However, the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings should be understood as illustrative and not limiting of the application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the application, and these changes or modifications do not depart from the scope of the application.
Claims (10)
1. A sealing structure of a fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly (20) and conductive separators (10) respectively disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly (20), the sealing structure comprising:
the conductive separator (10) having a sealing protrusion (11) disposed at an edge of the conductive separator (10) and protruding toward the membrane electrode assembly (20); and
a sealing frame (40) formed around an edge (24) of the membrane electrode assembly (20);
characterized in that the sealing frame (40) is provided with a sealing undercut (41), the shape of the sealing undercut (41) corresponding to the shape of the sealing protrusion (11) such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion (11) is housed within the sealing undercut (41) and is held in elastic contact with the sealing undercut (41).
2. The sealing structure of claim 1, wherein the sealing frame (40) is integrated with the edge (24) of the membrane electrode assembly (20) by injection molding.
3. The seal structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seal recession (41) includes a plate portion (42) and a lateral extension portion (43), the lateral extension portion (43) extending laterally from the plate portion (42) and forming a recessed space with the plate portion (42) for receiving the seal protrusion (11).
4. The sealing structure of claim 3, wherein the sealing frame (40) further comprises a connecting portion (44), the connecting portion (44) being connected with an edge (24) of the membrane electrode assembly (20), and a portion (45) of reduced thickness being provided between the connecting portion (44) and the lateral extension (43).
5. The sealing structure of claim 3, wherein the height of the lateral extension (43) is 10% to 70% of the height of the sealing protrusion (11).
6. The sealing structure of claim 3, wherein the sealing frame (40) comprises silicone rubber or ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber.
7. The sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein the sealing protrusion (11) is formed by bending or punching a portion of the conductive separator (10), and the sealing protrusion (11) defines an inner space.
8. A manufacturing method of a seal structure of a fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly (20) and conductive separators (10) respectively provided on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly (20), the manufacturing method comprising:
providing an electrically conductive separator plate (10) having a sealing protrusion (11) disposed at an edge of the electrically conductive separator plate (10) and protruding toward the membrane electrode assembly (20);
forming a sealing frame (40) around an edge (24) of the membrane electrode assembly (20), the sealing frame (40) being provided with a sealing undercut (41), a shape of the sealing undercut (41) corresponding to a shape of the sealing protrusion (11); and
assembling the conductive spacer (10) and the sealing frame (40) such that at least a portion of the sealing protrusion (11) is received within the sealing undercut (41) and is held in elastic contact with the sealing undercut (41).
9. The manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein forming a sealing frame (40) around an edge (24) of the membrane electrode assembly (20) includes:
cutting a proton exchange membrane (21), a catalyst layer (22), and a gas diffusion layer (23) for forming the membrane electrode assembly (20), and placing the cut proton exchange membrane (21), catalyst layer (22), and gas diffusion layer (23) in a mold; and
injecting a material for forming the sealing frame (40) into the mold such that the sealing frame (40) is formed at an edge (24) of the membrane electrode assembly (20).
10. A fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell comprises a sealing structure of the fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202111019770.7A CN115732717A (en) | 2021-09-01 | 2021-09-01 | Sealing structure of fuel cell, method for manufacturing the same, and fuel cell |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202111019770.7A CN115732717A (en) | 2021-09-01 | 2021-09-01 | Sealing structure of fuel cell, method for manufacturing the same, and fuel cell |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN115732717A true CN115732717A (en) | 2023-03-03 |
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202111019770.7A Pending CN115732717A (en) | 2021-09-01 | 2021-09-01 | Sealing structure of fuel cell, method for manufacturing the same, and fuel cell |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN115732717A (en) |
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2021
- 2021-09-01 CN CN202111019770.7A patent/CN115732717A/en active Pending
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