JP2016539479A - Plate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrode plate, particularly a monopolar plate, a bipolar plate or an end plate, particularly for a fuel cell unit. The electrode plates are at least one first member (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d; 12e) connected in a non-dissociable manner to each other via sintered connections (16a; 16b; 16c; 16d; 16e; 16f). 12f) and at least one second member (14a; 14b; 14c; 14d; 14e; 14f), wherein at least one first member (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d; 12e; 12f) At least one notch (18a; 18b; 18c; 18d; 18e; 18f). According to the invention, at least one notch (18a; 18b; 18c; 18d; 18e; 18f) is provided for receiving at least one cooling fluid in at least one operating state.

Description

Prior Art The present invention relates to an electrode plate according to the superordinate concept of claim 1 and a method for manufacturing the electrode plate according to claim 13.

  From European Patent Application No. 01574772, an electrode plate is known in which a solid titanium plate is connected to a porous titanium plate via a sintered connection. The porous titanium plate has a narrow groove structure on one side. The porous titanium plate is solid so that a plurality of passages for transporting the reaction gas are formed based on the narrow groove structure, and the reaction gas can be discharged from each passage through the porous titanium plate. Connected to the titanium plate.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an electrode plate, in particular a monopolar plate, a bipolar plate or an end plate, in particular for a fuel cell unit, which is connected in a non-dissociable manner via a sintered connection. It is based on a plate of the type comprising one first member and at least one second member, the at least one first member having at least one notch.

  The present invention proposes to provide at least one notch for receiving at least one cooling fluid in at least one operating state.

  “Plate” means in particular for at least one fuel cell of a fuel cell unit and / or for at least particularly adjacent fuel cells of a fuel cell unit in particular electrical contact and / or For supplying at least one particularly gaseous reactant, in particular hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide and / or oxygen, to the fuel cell unit and / or for discharging at least one reaction product, in particular water. And / or mechanical unit, preferably provided for cooling the fuel cell unit. It is to be understood that “provided” is specifically formed and / or configured exclusively. It is to be understood that providing an object with a predetermined function in particular means that the object fulfills and / or performs a predetermined function in at least one application state and / or operating state. A “fuel cell unit” here is a unit comprising at least one fuel cell, in particular at least one combustion gas, in particular hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide, which is continuously supplied. It should be understood that at least one chemical reaction energy with one oxidant, in particular oxygen, is provided in particular to convert electrical energy. The at least one fuel cell can be configured in particular as a solid oxide-fuel cell SOFC and / or a polymer electrolyte-fuel cell PEMFC. Preferably, the at least one fuel cell unit comprises a plurality of fuel cells arranged in particular as one fuel cell stack.

  A “member” here is to be understood in particular as a particularly flat mechanical element formed at least partly from a conductive material. The “flat element” here has, in particular, a non-circular cross section in a cross section perpendicular to the plane when viewed in one plane, and a predetermined material strength in a direction perpendicular to the plane. It should be understood as a spatial element. This material strength is less than 50%, preferably less than 25%, particularly preferably less than 10% of the area of the spatial element parallel to the plane, in particular the minimum area of the spatial element parallel to the plane. A “sintered connection” is to be understood in particular as a connection that utilizes a material bond of at least two members produced by a sintering process. “Sintering process” is to be understood as a process of connecting at least two members, in particular in the form of material bonding by grain boundary growth, in particular using a surface diffusion process. In particular, the sintering process is performed at a process temperature below the melting temperature of the members to be connected. Preferably, the process temperature is in the region of 60% to 80% of the melting temperature of the members to be connected. Sintered connections produced by the sintering process may differ from other types of connections, such as welds and / or brazes and / or glues, especially in the microsections. In this context, “non-dissociable connection” is to be understood in particular as a connection that cannot be separated unless it is broken by at least one tool.

  A “notch” here is to be understood in particular as a part of the material in the member and / or the material of at least one surface of the member. In this case, the notch can be formed by a microscopic material notch in the member and / or by at least one porous, in particular an open porous, of the porous material of the member. In particular, the at least one first member can have a plurality of notches that can be interconnected, particularly in terms of fluid technology. The at least one second member may also have at least one notch corresponding to at least one notch in the at least one first member, preferably in at least one operating state. It should be noted here that at least one notch is provided for “accepting” at least one cooling fluid, in particular the at least one notch is directed at and / or in particular directed at least one cooling fluid. It is to be understood that it has a particularly three-dimensional structure that allows it to flow through. The term “cooling fluid” as used herein means a particularly gaseous and / or liquid substance provided to absorb and / or release heat energy generated in the fuel cell unit in particular. I want to be understood. Preferably, the cooling fluid is formed from cooling water.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to form an electrode plate of the type mentioned at the beginning, which has advantageous properties in terms of cooling the fuel cell unit. Also, using a sintering process for producing a sintered joint of at least two parts for a plate of the type mentioned at the outset, the manufacturing process is advantageously shortened and / or the production costs are advantageously Can be reduced.

  It is further proposed that the flow region is formed by at least one notch. A “flow region” here is deposited on at least one surface of at least one first member, in particular by mechanical and / or chemical and / or optical methods, and / or It should be understood that it is in particular a three-dimensional structure that is at least partially embedded in the surface of the at least one first member. In particular, the flow region occupies at least 30%, advantageously at least 50%, preferably at least 75% of at least one surface of the at least one first member. In particular, the flow region comprises a grid-like flow region and / or in particular a plurality of passages extending at least substantially parallel to each other and / or at least one passage extending in a meandering manner. Configured as a flow area. In addition to at least one first member, at least one second member may also have at least one notch that forms a flow region. This makes it possible to construct a cutout suitable for receiving the cooling fluid, advantageously and easily and / or at low cost.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one first member and at least one second member are interconnected such that at least a portion of at least one notch forms at least one closed passage. Proposed to do. Preferably, the at least one second member at least substantially completely covers at least one notch of the at least one first member in at least one operating state. A “closed passage” here is a passage having in particular at least one inlet and / or at least one outlet, in particular for the introduction and / or discharge of at least one cooling fluid. It is to be understood that the passages are arranged along the circumferential direction, in particular at least watertight, preferably at least vapor tight, particularly preferably at least gas tight. In this way, at least one cooling fluid can be advantageously guided through the electrode plate, and in particular, advantageous and efficient cooling of the fuel cell unit can be achieved. It is furthermore advantageous that at least one leakage of at least one cooling fluid, which is particularly undesirable, can be at least substantially prevented, and thus malfunction and / or damage of the fuel cell unit can be avoided.

  In another embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the at least one first member is at least partly formed from an open porous material, and the porous material forms at least one notch. The An “open porous material” here is to be understood as a material having a plurality of hollow chambers which are connected to each other and / or to the surroundings, particularly in terms of fluid technology. For example, the at least one first member can be formed, at least in part, from wire tissue and / or metal lath and / or metal sponge. In particular, a plurality of interconnected cavities are provided for receiving at least one cooling fluid in at least one operating state. This makes it possible to construct a cutout suitable for receiving the cooling fluid, advantageously and / or at low cost.

  It is also proposed that the electrode plate is provided with at least one third member, which is connected to the at least one first member and at least one second member in a non-dissociable manner via a sintered connection. Preferably, the at least one first member is disposed between the at least one second member and the at least one third member. Preferably, the at least one first member is at least substantially at least substantially watertight to the surroundings in at least one operating state, at least in part by at least one second member and at least one third member. Furthermore, it is preferably formed from an open porous material that is at least vapor-tight, particularly preferably at least gas-tight. This makes it possible to achieve an advantageous structure of the electrode plate that can advantageously and conveniently demand and / or distribute at least one cooling fluid.

  Furthermore, in another preferred embodiment of the invention it is proposed to manufacture at least one of the members from a sintered material. The “sintered material” here is in particular composed of at least one particulate and / or powdered and / or fiber-like substance, which is joined and / or densified by heating, in particular produced by a sintering process. It should be understood that The sintered material can include an open and / or closed porous. A “closed porous material” is to be understood in particular as a material each having only a closed hollow chamber. In order to connect at least two members made of sintered material, the materials are first placed relative to each other in a desired final position and / or oriented relative to each other. By subsequently heating at least two parts to an absolute temperature, in particular from 60% to 80% of the melting temperature of these parts, a sintered connection of the two parts is produced. The use of sintered materials, which are advantageously low cost and advantageously easy to process, can advantageously achieve simple and / or advantageously low cost plate production. Furthermore, the weight of the electrode plate can be advantageously reduced.

  It is further proposed that at least one of the members is solid and / or has an occlusive porous. A “solid construction” member here is to be understood in particular as a member which is at least substantially free of pores, preferably of a homogeneous material. In order to connect at least two members that are solidly configured, first, particulate and / or powdery granules, preferably at least partly made of at least two member manufacturing materials, are applied to at least one connection location. The The at least two members are then placed relative to each other in the desired final position and / or oriented relative to each other. Subsequently, the sintered connection is produced between the two members by heating at least two members and the granules to a temperature of 60% to 80% of the melting temperature of these members and / or granules. In addition, when manufacturing the connection part of at least 1 member comprised solid and the member formed from a sintered material, use of a granule is not necessarily required. However, the use of granules can advantageously increase the stability of such sintered connections. By using a solidly constructed member and / or a member comprising an occlusive porous, it is particularly advantageous and simple to seal at least one notch.

  If at least one of the members is manufactured from sheet metal and / or metal foil, the at least one notch can be formed advantageously quickly and / or simply and / or at low cost, in particular by a stamping process. . Also, a member made of a thin metal plate and / or a metal foil can be manufactured by a low-cost mass production process, so that an advantageous cost reduction can be achieved.

  When at least two members are configured identically to each other, an advantageous cost reduction can be achieved when manufacturing the electrode plate. In addition, the demand for the storage location can be reduced. Preferably, at least two members have the same geometric shape and / or are formed from the same material.

  If at least one of the members is configured at least substantially in the form of a plate, in particular an electrode plate that can be used as an end plate can be advantageously produced simply and / or at low cost. Here, the “configured in a plate shape” means, in particular, a cross section that is not circular in a cross section perpendicular to the plane when viewed in one plane, and at least substantially equal in a direction perpendicular to the plane. It should be understood that it is a spatial element with a good material strength. This material strength is less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, particularly preferably less than 5% of the area of the spatial element parallel to the plane, in particular the minimum area of the spatial element parallel to the plane. It is. Here, “at least substantially equal” is to be understood in particular as a material strength deviation from the average material strength being in particular less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, particularly preferably less than 5%. .

  It is also proposed to provide the electrode plate with at least one gas diffusion element, which is connected in a non-dissociable manner to at least one of the members via another sintered connection. Preferably, the at least one gas diffusion element is configured in particular as a metal gas diffusion element. Thereby, the installation of the gas diffusion element can advantageously be performed in the same steps as connecting at least two members, which advantageously reduces the process time.

  Furthermore, it is proposed to provide a flow region for supplying at least one reactant and / or for discharging at least one reaction product on at least one of the members opposite to the connection point. . This advantageously ensures the supply of reactants and / or advantageously the discharge of reaction products.

  Furthermore, a method of manufacturing an electrode plate, in particular a monopolar plate, a bipolar plate or an end plate, in particular for a fuel cell unit, at least provided for receiving at least one cooling fluid in at least one operating state A method of manufacturing an electrode plate including at least one first member having one notch and at least one second member is proposed. Here, the at least one first member and the at least one second member are connected to each other in a non-dissociable manner via the sintered connection portion. Thereby, an electrode plate having advantageous characteristics in terms of cooling can be formed. Also, the sintering process can be used to advantageously shorten the manufacturing process and / or advantageously reduce manufacturing costs.

  Here, the electrode plate of the present invention is not limited to the applications and embodiments described above. In particular, the electrode plate of the present invention can include a different number of individual elements, members, and units than those listed here to satisfy the functions described herein.

Further advantages result from the following description of the drawings. In the drawing, eight embodiments of the present invention are shown. The drawings, detailed description, and claims include numerous features in combination. One skilled in the art can consider each feature individually for purposes or integrate it into other significant combinations.
It is the schematic of the structure of the electrode plate of this invention which consists of two members of the same structure. It is the structure of another electrode plate of this invention which consists of two members of a different structure. It is the structure of another electrode plate of this invention which consists of three members. It is the structure of another electrode plate of this invention which has a member of a plate-like structure. It is the structure of another electrode plate of this invention which consists of two members of the same structure. It is the structure of another electrode plate of this invention which consists of two members of a different structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an electrode plate 10a according to the present invention, particularly used as a bipolar plate or a monopolar plate in a fuel cell unit (not shown), particularly configured as a fuel cell stack. Has been shown. The electrode plate 10a includes a first member 12a and a second member 14a. The first member 12a and the second member 14a are configured identically to each other. The first member 12a and the second member 14a are connected to each other so as not to be dissociable via the sintered connection portion 16a. Both the first member 12a and the second member 14a have a plurality of cutouts 18a on the side facing the connection portion 34a, and only five of them are shown here as an example. However, a different number of notches may be provided. The notch 18a is provided in the first member 12a and the second member 14a so that the flow region 20a is formed. In this case, the flow region 20a is formed as a passage-like flow region, and the notches 18a are configured as a plurality of passages 42a extending in parallel with each other. Alternatively, the flow region can be formed as a grid-like flow region or as a flow region having a plurality of passages extending in a meander shape.

  The first member 12a and the second member 14a are connected to each other through the sintered connection portion 16a so that the notch portion 18a forms a plurality of closed passages 22a. During operation of a fuel cell unit incorporating the electrode plate 10a of the present invention by a plurality of closed passages 22a, a cooling fluid, preferably cooling water, is used to achieve cooling of the fuel cell unit. Guided to pass.

  The first member 12a and the second member 14a are each provided on the side opposite to the connection portion 34a, and reactants, particularly hydrogen and / or oxygen necessary for forming electric energy, are supplied to the fuel cell unit. It has a separate flow region 36a for feeding and discharging the resulting reaction product, in particular water.

  The 1st member 12a and the 2nd member 14a are comprised solid, for example, are manufactured from the metal thin plate or metal foil. The flow regions 20a, 36a can be formed in the first member 12a and the second member 14a, for example, by a simple and low cost stamping process. Due to the solid construction of the first member 12a and the second member 14a, the flow regions 20a, 36a are separated from each other in terms of fluid technology. Also, the sintered connection 16a between the first member 12a and the second member 14a achieves a sufficient seal to prevent leakage of cooling fluid from the closed passage 22a, particularly on the sides. Is done. As an alternative to the solid configuration, the first member and / or the second member can also be manufactured from a material having an occlusive porous.

  One, preferably metal, gas diffusion elements 30a and 32a are provided on the opposite sides of the connection portions 34a of the first member 12a and the second member 14a, respectively. The gas diffusion elements 30a and 32a are connected to the first member 12a or the second member 14a in a non-dissociable manner via separate sintered connection portions 38a and 40a, respectively. Manufacturing of another sintered connection 38a between the gas diffusion element 30a and the first member 12a and another sintered connection 40a between the gas diffusion element 32a and the second member 14a is preferred. Is performed simultaneously with the manufacture of the sintered connection 16a between the first member 12a and the second member 14a. The production of the respective sintered connections 16a, 38a, 40a can be carried out in particular in a continuous sintering furnace.

  2 to 6 show another embodiment of the present invention. In the following, description and illustration will be made substantially limited to the differences between the embodiments. Here, similarly labeled elements, in particular elements having the same reference numerals, are basically shown in connection with the illustration and / or description of other embodiments, in particular the embodiment of FIG. In order to distinguish each embodiment, the reference number of the embodiment of FIG. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 6, symbols b to f are used instead of the symbol a.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the structure of another electrode plate 10b of the present invention. The electrode plate 10b includes a first member 12b and a second member 14b. The first member 12b is connected to the second member 14b through the sintered connection portion 16b so as not to be dissociated. The first member 12b has a plurality of notches 18b on the side facing the connection portion 34b. The second member 14b has a flat surface on the side facing the connection portion 34b. Due to the sintered connection 16b between the first member 12b and the second member 14b, the notch 18b defines a flow region 20b having a plurality of closed passages 22b for receiving and / or guiding cooling fluid. Forming.

  Each of the first member 12b and the second member 14b has another flow region 36b, one on the side opposite to the connection portion 34b. Similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the gas diffusion element is additionally connected to the first member and / or the second member via the sintered connection. be able to.

  In the electrode plate 10c of the present invention having the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the first member 12c is formed of an open porous material 24c. The open porous material 24c may be made of, for example, a sintered material having a metal sponge and / or a metal lattice structure and / or an open porous. The first member 12c is disposed between the second member 14c and the third member 26c, and is connected to these members through the sintered connection portions 16c and 28c so as not to be dissociated. The second member 14c and the third member 26c are solidly configured and / or have a closing porous so that the first member 12c is tightly sealed to the connection point 34c. ing. The open porous of the first member 12c forms a notch 18c, and the cooling fluid can be guided through the notch 18c. The lateral region of the first member 12c can be closed by impregnating parts not shown and / or by elements not shown in order to prevent leakage of cooling fluid. Again, as described above, the gas diffusion element can be connected to it in the sintered joint.

  FIGS. 4 to 6 show different configurations of the electrode plates 10d, 10e, and 10f of the present invention, which can be used particularly as end plates of fuel cell units. The electrode plates 10d, 10e, and 10f include first members 12d, 12e, and 12f and second members 14d, 14e, and 14f, respectively. The first members 12d, 12e, and 12f are connected to the second members 14d, 14e, and 14f through the sintered connection portions 16d, 16e, and 16f so as not to be dissociated. Each of the second members 14d, 14e, 14f has a flat closed surface, one on each side opposite to the connection points 34d, 34e, 34f.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the second member 14d is configured in a plate shape and has flat closed surfaces on both sides. On the other hand, the second members 14e and 14f shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 have a plurality of notches 18e and 18f forming flow regions 20e and 20f on the sides facing the connection portions 34e and 34f, respectively. Have. Regarding the configuration of the plurality of closed passages 22d, 22e, and 22f, the electrode plates 10d, 10e, and 10f shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are replaced with the electrode plates 10a and 10b shown in FIGS. Correspondingly.

  Also in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6, the gas diffusion element can be connected to this in the sintered joint as described above.

Prior art invention, the electrode plate according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method of manufacturing a plate of claim 1 5.

Claims (13)

An electrode plate, in particular for a fuel cell unit, in particular a monopolar plate, a bipolar plate or an end plate,
At least one first member (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d; 12e; 12f) connected in a non-dissociable manner to each other via a sintered connection (16a; 16b; 16c; 16d; 16e; 16f) At least one second member (14a; 14b; 14c; 14d; 14e; 14f);
In an electrode plate of the type wherein the at least one first member (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d; 12e; 12f) has at least one notch (18a; 18b; 18c; 18d; 18e; 18f);
Electrode plate characterized in that said at least one notch (18a; 18b; 18c; 18d; 18e; 18f) is provided for receiving at least one cooling fluid in at least one operating state. The at least one notch (18a; 18b; 18d; 18e; 18f) forms a flow region (20a; 20b; 20d; 20e; 20f);
The electrode plate according to claim 1. The at least one first member (12a; 12b; 12d; 12e; 12f) and the at least one second member (14a; 14b; 14d; 14e; 14f) are connected to the at least one notch (18a). 18b; 18d; 18e; 18f) are interconnected to form at least one closed passage (22a; 22b; 22d; 22e; 22f);
The electrode plate according to claim 1 or 2. The at least one first member (12c) is at least partially formed of an open porous material (24c), and the porous material forms the at least one notch (18c). ing,
The electrode plate according to claim 1. At least one third member connected to the at least one first member (12c) and the at least one second member (14c) through the sintered connection portion (16c, 28c) so as not to be dissociable. The member (26c) is provided,
The electrode plate according to claim 4. At least one of the members (12a-f, 14a-f, 26c) is manufactured from a sintered material,
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5. At least one of the members (12a-f, 14a-f, 26c) is solidly configured and / or has a closing porous;
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6. At least one of the members (12a-f, 14a-f, 26a-f) is manufactured from a thin metal plate and / or a metal foil.
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 7. At least two of the members (12a; 12c; 12e; 14a; 14c; 14e; 26c) are configured identically to each other;
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8. At least one of the members (14d) is at least substantially plate-shaped,
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 9. At least one gas diffusion element (30a, 32a) is provided which is non-detachably connected to at least one of the members (12a) via another sintered connection (38a, 40b),
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 10. At least one of the members (12a-f, 14a-f, 26c) supplies at least one reactant on the side opposite to the connection point (34a; 34b; 34c; 34d; 34e; 34f). And / or a flow region (36a; 36b; 36c; 36d; 36e; 36f) provided for discharging at least one reaction product,
The electrode plate according to any one of claims 1 to 11. Electrode plates (10a; 10b; 10c; 10d; 10e; 10f), in particular monopolar plates, bipolar plates or end plates, in particular for fuel cell units, in particular according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A method of manufacturing
The plate has at least one first member having at least one notch (18a; 18b; 18c; 18d; 18e; 18f) provided to receive at least one cooling fluid in at least one operating state. (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d; 12e; 12f) and at least one second member (14a; 14b; 14c; 14d; 14e; 14f);
The at least one first member (12a; 12b; 12c; 12d; 12e; 12f) and the at least one second member (14a; 14b; 14c; 14d; 14e; 14f) (16a; 16b; 16c; 16d; 16e; 16f).

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