WO2005117165A1 - Plaque bipolaire pour une pile a combustible et systeme de production destine a des produits a utiliser dans des piles a combustible - Google Patents

Plaque bipolaire pour une pile a combustible et systeme de production destine a des produits a utiliser dans des piles a combustible Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2005117165A1
WO2005117165A1 PCT/CA2005/000813 CA2005000813W WO2005117165A1 WO 2005117165 A1 WO2005117165 A1 WO 2005117165A1 CA 2005000813 W CA2005000813 W CA 2005000813W WO 2005117165 A1 WO2005117165 A1 WO 2005117165A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
sheet
fuel cells
production
conductive material
sonotrode
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2005/000813
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Truc Tran-Ngoc
Christopher Bennett
Original Assignee
Polymer Technologies Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Polymer Technologies Inc. filed Critical Polymer Technologies Inc.
Publication of WO2005117165A1 publication Critical patent/WO2005117165A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02—Details
    • H01M8/0202—Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors
    • H01M8/0204—Non-porous and characterised by the material
    • H01M8/0223—Composites
    • H01M8/0228—Composites in the form of layered or coated products
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02—Details
    • H01M8/0271—Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02—Details
    • H01M8/0202—Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors
    • H01M8/0204—Non-porous and characterised by the material
    • H01M8/0223—Composites
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02—Details
    • H01M8/0202—Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors
    • H01M8/0204—Non-porous and characterised by the material
    • H01M8/0223—Composites
    • H01M8/0226—Composites in the form of mixtures
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/241—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/10—Fuel cells with solid electrolytes
    • H01M2008/1095—Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02—Details
    • H01M8/0202—Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors
    • H01M8/0204—Non-porous and characterised by the material
    • H01M8/0221—Organic resins; Organic polymers
    • 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
    • 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
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
    • Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Definitions

  • TITLE Separator Plate for Fuel Cell and Production System for Products for Use in Fuel Cells
  • the present invention relates to fuel cells, and more particularly the invention relates to polymeric separator plates for fuel cells and to methods of manufacturing polymeric separator plates for fuel cells.
  • a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (also known as a PEM fuel cell) is an electrochemical device capable of producing electricity from chemical reactions involving Hydrogen and Oxygen.
  • PEM fuel cells are being considered or used in vehicles and in a variety of other applications such as, in stationary and mobile electricity generators.
  • a PEM fuel cell typically includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed there between.
  • individual fuel cells are stacked together one on top of the other with electrically conductive separator plates disposed between adjacent fuel cells.
  • the separator plate typically has a flow channel on each side for the transport of a fluid to each adjacent fuel cell.
  • the fluid transported may be for example a reactant gas which is used by an adjacent fuel cell to produce electricity.
  • a commonly used material for the production of separator plates is graphite.
  • graphite separator plates typically are expensive to manufacture, and are brittle.
  • Other materials that are commonly used include polymer bound conductive materials such as, a graphite-polymer composite.
  • separator plates manufactured from such composites typically possess a relatively low surface conductivity at their interface with adjacent fuel cell elements, due to the presence of a polymer "skin" that is generally the void of conductive material on their interface surfaces.
  • Some solutions have been proposed to improve the surface conductivity of such plates, whereby some or all of the skin is removed.
  • some proposed solutions include immersing the plate in a strong acidic solution, or blasting its contact surfaces with an abrasive material. While such processes may increase the surface conductivity of the plate, they can have detrimental effects on the quality of the finished part. Furthermore, these secondary processes increase the overall cost associated with the production of the plate.
  • the invention is directed to a separator plate for a fuel cell.
  • the separator plate includes a plate body that is made from a mixture of a polymeric material and an electron conductive material.
  • a coating of conductive material is embedded in at least one surface of the plate body.
  • the coating may be in the form of conductive particles.
  • the coating may be in the form of a conductive mesh.
  • the invention is directed to a separator plate for a fuel cell.
  • the separator plate includes a plate body.
  • the plate body is made from a mixture of a polymeric material and a conductive material.
  • the plate body has a first surface and a second surface.
  • the plate body includes a first flow channel on the first surface. At least a portion of the first surface is a coated surface area. A coating of conductive material is embedded in the first surface in the coated surface area.
  • the invention is directed to a method of making a product for use in the production of fuel cells, comprising: a. providing a continuous sheet of polymeric plate material, wherein the sheet has a first sheet surface and a second sheet surface; and b. performing at least one additional operation at at least one station, wherein the at least one additional operation includes providing a first repeating pattern of first flow channels in the first sheet surface, wherein the sheet follows a sheet feed path from step a through the at least one station; wherein step b further includes: c. immobilizing a first portion of the sheet relative to at least one of the at least one station; d.
  • the invention is directed to a separator plate for a fuel cell.
  • the separator plate includes a plate body and a first piece of conductive mesh.
  • the plate body is made from a mixture of a polymeric material and a conductive material.
  • the plate body has a first surface and a second surface.
  • the plate body includes a first flow channel on the first surface.
  • the piece of conductive mesh is embedded in at least a portion of the first surface.
  • the invention is directed to a method of making a product for use in the production of fuel cells, comprising: a. providing a continuous sheet of polymeric plate material, wherein the sheet has a first sheet surface and a second sheet surface, wherein the first and second sheet surfaces make up an overall sheet surface; b. providing a repeating pattern of first flow channels in a first sheet surface; c. providing a repeating pattern of first holes through the sheet and a repeating pattern of second holes through the sheet, wherein each first hole is an inlet for one of the first flow channels and each second hole is an outlet for the first flow channels; and d.
  • the invention is directed to a method of applying a conductive coating to a sheet for use in the production of separator plates for fuel cells, wherein the sheet is made from a mixture of a polymeric material and a first conductive material, wherein the sheet has a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the sheet has at least one flow channel in the first surface, the method comprising: a. applying a coating of conductive material to at least a portion of the first surface; b. applying a sonotrode to the first surface against the coating of conductive material, and applying an anvil to the second surface; and c. ultrasonically heating the sheet to embed at least a portion of the conductive particles in the sheet.
  • the invention is directed to a fuel cell stack with relatively few components and which is easy to assemble.
  • the invention is directed to a compact PEM fuel cell with relatively high power density.
  • the invention is directed to a manufacturing process for providing fuel cells at relatively low cost.
  • Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of a fuel cell stack incorporating a separator plate in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 2 is a magnified sectional side view of selected components of the fuel cell stack shown in Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3 is a further magnified sectional side view of a portion of the separator plate shown in Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3a is a sectional side view of a fuel cell assembly sealed together with a variant of the sealing means shown in Figure 3, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
  • Figure 4 is a side view of a system for manufacturing separator plates in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 5 is a perspective view of the system shown in Figure 4;
  • Figure 6 is a side view of a system for manufacturing separator plates in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 7 is a sectional side view of a separator plate in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 8 is a side view of a system for the manufacture of the separator plate shown in Figure 7, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 9 is a side view of a system for the manufacture of separator plates, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 10 is a side view of a system for the manufacture of fuel cells, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 11 is a side view of a system for the manufacture of fuel cells, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  • Each fuel cell 11 includes a catalyzed electrolyte membrane 12, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) 14 on each side of the membrane 12, a TeflonTM mask 16 on each side of the membrane 12 about the outer perimeter, and a separator plate 18 adjacent the outwardly facing surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 14 and the TeflonTM masks 16.
  • GDL gas diffusion layer
  • TeflonTM mask 16 on each side of the membrane 12 about the outer perimeter
  • separator plate 18 adjacent the outwardly facing surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 14 and the TeflonTM masks 16.
  • One side of the fuel cell 10 is an anode side 20, and the other side is a cathode side 22, with the membrane 12 separating the anode and cathode sides 20 and 22 from each other.
  • the catalyzed membrane 12 permits the migration of electrochemically generated Hydrogen ions across its thickness from the anode side 20 to the cathode side 22.
  • the GDLs 14 control the distribution of water on the surfaces of the membrane 12.
  • the TeflonTM masks 16 are used to seal and contain reactant gases within their flow areas on both sides of the membrane 12.
  • the separator plates 18 provide electrical conductivity between adjacent fuel cells 11 and between the fuel cell stack 10 and current collector plates (not shown) at both ends of the fuel cell stack 10. Thin separator plates
  • separator plate 18 can be mass produced using conductive polymer materials, with a suitable blend of conductive material within a selected polymer matrix high bulk conductivity can be achieved in the core section of the plate. To eliminate the reduction in surface conductivity that can occur as a result of the presence of the polymer skin layer on the molded surface, the separator plate 18 has a conductive material embedded in the molded surface. Additionally, good barrier properties and chemical inertness of the polymer allow such separator plates 18 to be used to transport and distribute reactant gases that are used by each fuel cell 11 to produce electricity. [0033] Reference is made to Figure 2, which shows a magnified view of the separator plates 18. Each separator plate 18 has a first surface 24 and a second surface 26.
  • the first surface 24 has a first flow channel 28 thereon for the transport of a reactant gas.
  • the second surface 26 has a second flow channel 30 thereon for the transport of a reactant gas.
  • the first and second flow channels 28 and 30 each have channel walls 31 and a channel floor 32. It will be appreciated that the routing of the flow channels 28 and 30 shown in the Figures is exemplary only and that any suitable routing may be made.
  • the transported gas in the first flow channel 28 is hydrogen and the transported gas in the second flow channel 30 is an oxidant. It is, however, alternatively possible for the cathode and anode sides 20 and 22 ( Figure 1) of the fuel cell 11 to be reversed. As such, the first flow channel 28 on the first surface 24 would be used to transport an oxidant gas instead of hydrogen and the second flow channel 30 on the second surface 26 would be used to transport hydrogen instead of transporting an oxidant gas.
  • the regions on the first and second surfaces 24 and 26 where the plate 18 contacts the GDLs 14 are called active regions 33.
  • the active regions 33 may each be recessed relative to a surrounding inactive region 36.
  • a shoulder 34 separates the active region 33 from the inactive region 36. Referring to Figure 3, when the fuel cell 11 is clamped or otherwise held together, the recessed active region 33 permits the gas diffusion layer 14 to be retained in place, while inhibiting excessive compression of the gas diffusion layers 14.
  • the shoulder 34 surrounding the active region 33 is positioned to receive and position the outer perimeter of the GDL 14.
  • the GDLs 14 are bonded to the catalyzed membrane 12 to form a membrane electrode assembly (MEA).
  • MEA membrane electrode assembly
  • Clip portions 38 may be provided to retain the GDL 14 in place against the separator plate 18. In this way, the assembly of the fuel cell 11 is facilitated, since the GDL 14 can be secured in place against the separator plate to form an assembly that can then be transported and positioned against the catalyzed membrane 12 for assembly therewith.
  • the clip portions 38 may initially be present as projections which are bent over onto the GDL 14 after it is positioned on the recessed active region 33, thereby retaining the GDL 14 in place.
  • a first inlet aperture 40 passes through the separator plate 18 in the inactive region 36.
  • the first inlet aperture 40 is an inlet aperture for the first flow channel 28 and communicates fluidically therewith (see Figure 1).
  • a first outlet aperture 42 also passes through the separator plate 18 in the inactive region 36 and is an outlet aperture for the first flow channel 28 and communicates fluidically therewith.
  • the inactive region 36 surrounds the active region 33 and includes a seal portion 44.
  • the seal portion 44 seals against an adjacent fuel cell component, such as the catalyzed membrane 12 to inhibit leakage of reactant gases out of the active region 33.
  • the seal portion 44 may include a plurality of projections 46 that extend outwardly from the first and second surfaces 24 and 26 of the separator plate 18.
  • the projections 46 may be made from a polymeric material that is suitably deformable for use as a seal means. By including a plurality of projections 46, the seal portion 44 may form a labyrinth seal with the catalyzed membrane 12 to prevent leakage of reactant gases.
  • the projections 46 may be made from a material that is ultrasonically weldable to the adjacent fuel cell component, such as the catalyzed membrane 12.
  • the shape of the projections 46 may be such that they are of relatively large cross-section at their base, shown at 48, and are of relatively small cross-section at their tip, shown at 50. This feature permits ultrasonic power to be concentrated in the tip 50 for welding the projections 46 to the adjacent fuel cell component, thereby forming a seal therewith.
  • the projections 46 may generally taper from their bases 48 to their tips 50.
  • the ultrasonic welding of two separator plates 18 to the electrolyte membrane 12 takes place by positioning a first device 51a and a second device 51b on the outside faces of the two separator plates 18.
  • Either of the devices 51a or 51b may be a sonotrode while the other of the devices 51a or 51b may be an anvil, so that ultrasonic power can be sent through the plates 18 to weld them to the electrolyte membrane 12.
  • Recesses 47 located on either side of the seal projections 46 accommodate deformation of the projections 46 during compression of the fuel cell stack 10 or when the seal tip is melted during ultrasonic welding of the projections 46 to the membrane 12 (see Figure 3a). This allows plates to sit firmly flat against each other in a FC stack assembly.
  • the separator plate 18 includes a plate body 52 that is made from a material that is conductive.
  • the plate body 52 may be made from a conductive material/polymer composite to provide suitable conductivity across the thickness of the separator plate 18.
  • the polymer material for the plate body 52 may be selected to be compatible for ultrasonically bonding with the material of the membrane 12, which may be perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid ionomer (eg. NationalTM).
  • the conductive material may be referred to as the first conductive material.
  • a layer or coating 54 of conductive material 56 is embedded into selected portions of the first and second surfaces 24 and 26.
  • the coating 54 may be made up of any particles that provide suitable conductivity in and through the planes of the first and second surfaces 24 and 26.
  • the conductive material may be graphite, carbon or Titanium carbide.
  • the conductive material used in the coating can be referred to as the second conductive material, and it may be the same or different as the first conductive material in the plate body 62.
  • the conductive material 56 may be in any suitable form, such as fibres, powder or granulate.
  • the selected portions of the first and second surfaces 24 and 26 may include some or all of one or both of the first and second surfaces 24 and 26.
  • the area having the coating 54 is referred to as a coated surface area.
  • the coating 54 of conductive material may be contiguous layer.
  • the coating 54 may be made up of a plurality of separate 'islands' that cover portions of one or both surfaces 24 and 26 of the plate 18, but which are disconnected from each other. For example, they may be separated by flow channels 28 or 30.
  • the surface conductive material 56 can more easily conduct electricity to and from the interior of the plate body 52, relative to a prior art coating that is not embedded in the surface. Embedding the surface conductive material 56 causes the conductive material 56 to break through the generally less-conductive 'skin' that can develop on the first and second plate surfaces 24 and 26 under some manufacturing conditions.
  • the surface conductive material 56 may be kept out of the first and second flow channels 28 and 30, so that the polymeric skin that is present in the channels 28 and 30 is undisturbed. In this way, the surface integrity of the first and second channels 28 and 30 is kept relatively high so that the walls 31 and floor 32 of the channels 28 and 30 are resistant to degradation during use and the plate 18 is more effective as a barrier to separate fuel on one side from oxidant on the other side.
  • the surface conductive material 56 may be kept out of the seal portion 44 and furthermore may be kept entirely out of the inactive region 36. In so doing, the seal portion 44 in particular may be made from any suitable material for forming a seal with the adjacent fuel cell component (eg.
  • the membrane 12 without the material properties of the seal portion 44 being negatively affected (eg. embrittled) by the presence of the surface conductive material 56.
  • the material of the seal portion 44 may be selected to have good weldability by ultrasonic means to the electrolyte membrane 12.
  • the GDL 14 may be maintained under relatively less compression when the fuel cell 11 or fuel cell stack 10 is assembled in order to achieve suitable conduction of electricity between the separator plate 18 and the GDL 14. This, in turn, provides improved long-term structural stability for the fuel cell stack 10.
  • the depth of the recessed active region 33 may be selected to permit a selected amount of compression in the GDL 14 in the assembled fuel cell stack 10.
  • FIG 4 shows a system 58 for the production of products for use in fuel cells.
  • the products may be, for example, the separator plates 18. Alternatively, the products may be a sheet that will later be cut into separator plates 18.
  • the system 58 includes a sheet production system 60, which produces a continuous sheet 62 that is used to manufacture the plates 18 (see Figure 1).
  • the sheet production system 60 includes an extruder 64 and a pair of sizing rollers 66.
  • the extruder 64 is fed raw material that will make up the plate body, and outputs a continuous feed of extruded material to the rollers 66.
  • the rollers 66 counter-rotate and form the material from the continuous feed into a continuous sheet 62 having a selected width and thickness.
  • the sheet 62 has a first surface 62a and a second surface 62b.
  • the first surface 62a may be the upper surface of the sheet 62, as shown in Figure 4, or alternatively it may be the lower surface of the sheet 62.
  • the continuous sheet 62 at the outlet of the rollers 66 is somewhat flexible, but is sufficiently cool that it possesses sufficient structural integrity to be transported to subsequent operations in the system 58.
  • the cooling of the material when forming the sheet 62 may be accomplished by any suitable means.
  • the rollers 66 may be cooled internally by means of an internal flow of water or other coolant.
  • the stations 68 Downstream from the sheet production system 60 is a set of stations 68, which perform operations on the sheet 62, but which require the sheet 62 to be immobile relative to the set of stations 68 during the operations.
  • the stations 68 include a heating station 70, which includes an upper heating station portion 70a and a lower heating station portion 70b.
  • the heating station 70 heats the sheet 62 from above and from below to give the sheet 62 a selected workability for the subsequent station, which is a feature forming station 72, which includes an upper feature forming station portion 72a and a lower feature forming station portion 72b.
  • features are formed into the sheet 62.
  • the feature forming station portions 72a and 72b include plates with selected patterns thereon, which are pressed into the sheet 62 to form selected features, such as the first and second flow channels 28 and 30, the seal portions 44 and the apertures 40 and 42 (see Figure 1).
  • the features may be molded or stamped or otherwise formed into the sheet 62 in any suitable way.
  • a conductive particle application station 74 Downstream from the feature forming station 72 is a conductive particle application station 74, which includes an upper conductive particle application station portion 74a and a lower conductive particle application station portion 74b.
  • the conductive particle application station portions 74a and 74b have conductive particle application devices 76a and 76b respectively, which may be, for example, spray nozzles, which apply conductive particles to the first and second surfaces 62a and 62b of the sheet 62.
  • the spray nozzles may be movable as necessary to thoroughly apply the conductive particles over the selected surface areas.
  • the conductive particles may be applied as dry particles, or alternatively, they may be applied with a carrier liquid that can assist them in adhering to the sheet 62. In particular, some form of adhesion assistance, such as incorporating a carrier liquid is contemplated for the conductive particle application device 76b applying conductive particles to the second sheet surface 62b.
  • the application of conductive particles to the first and second sheet surfaces 62a and 62b may be kept within a selected surface area by including seal members 78a and 78b on the upper and lower conductive particle application station portions 74a and 74b.
  • the seal members 78a and 78b surround the conductive particle application devices 76a and 76b and seal against the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b to control where conductive particles are applied to the sheet 62.
  • the seal members 78a and 78b could be rubber seals that form a seal on the sheet 62 to prevent the conductive particles from being applied to the seal portions 44 that are formed on the sheet 62 (see Figure 5).
  • a selected portion of the conductive particles applied to the upper and lower sheet surfaces 62a and 62b is embedded into the surfaces 62a and 62b at a particle embedment station 80, which includes an upper particle embedment station portion 80a and a lower particle embedment station portion 80b.
  • the conductive particles may be embedded in the surfaces 62a and 62b by any suitable means. For example, they may be embedded ultrasonically.
  • a first device 82a may be positioned in the upper particle embedment station portion 80a. The first device 82a may be configured to operate either as a sonotrode or as an anvil in an ultrasonic heating operation.
  • a second device 82b may be positioned in the lower particle embedment station portion 80a, and is also configurable to operate either as a sonotrode or as an anvil in an ultrasonic heating operation.
  • the upper and lower devices 82a and 82b each have a sheet contacting surface with a selected pattern so that, when each device 82a or 82b acts as a sonotrode, it applies ultrasonic energy through the pattern onto a selected portion of the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b, thereby embedding a selected portion of the particles into the surfaces 62a and 62b.
  • the patterns on the devices 82a and 82b may be such that particles are embedded into the portions of the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b that will ultimately contact the GDL 14 (see Figure 1) without being embedded in the flow channels 28 and 30.
  • first and second devices 82a and 82b When the first and second devices 82a and 82b are brought into contact with the first and second sheet surfaces 62a and 62b and power is applied to the first device 82a, the first device 82b acts as a sonotrode and ultrasonically embeds conductive particles into the first sheet surface 62a, while the other device 82a or 82b acts as an anvil. Similarly, when power is applied to the second device 82b, the second device acts as a sonotrode and ultrasonically embeds conductive particles into the second sheet surface 62b.
  • power may be first sent to one of the devices 82a and 82b to embed particles into one of the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b. Power may then be sent to the other of the devices 82a and 82b to embed particles into the other of the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b.
  • first and second devices 82a and 82b which are capable of acting as either a sonotrode or an anvil
  • a first particle embedment station could be provided, having a sonotrode for contacting the first sheet surface 62a and an anvil for contacting the second sheet surface 62b
  • a second particle embedment station could be provided, having a sonotrode for contacting the second sheet surface 62b and an anvil for contacting the first sheet surface 62a.
  • the entire sheet surfaces 62a and 62b may receive a conductive particle coating, instead of the coating being omitted from selected areas.
  • the particles that are not embedded are removed from the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b, at a particle removal station 84, which includes an upper particle removal station portion 84a and a lower particle removal station portion 84b.
  • the upper and lower particle removal station portions 84a and 84b include air outlets 86a and 86b respectively for directing pressurized air from a source of pressurized air (not shown) onto the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b to remove unembedded conductive particles therefrom.
  • a source of pressurized air not shown
  • a liquid may be included in the pressurized air to assist in particle removal.
  • particle removal may be facilitated by the use of a liquid entrained in the pressurized air.
  • the entrained liquid may be any suitable liquid, and may be selected specifically based on the conductive material used for the coating, and also based on how the conductive material was itself applied to the surfaces 62a and 62b. The liquid should be selected to avoid damaging the sheet surfaces, and should itself not be adherent to the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b.
  • the particle removal station portions 84a and 84b further include dust collection inlets 88a and 88b respectively, which extend back to a dust collection system (not shown).
  • the dust collection inlets 88a and 88b may surround the blasting air outlets 86a and 86b to contain and capture any dust generated during air blasting of the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b.
  • the sheet 62 may be cut into individual plates 18.
  • the cutting operation may take place in a cutting station (not shown) that cuts the sheet 62 while the sheet 62 is immobile.
  • the cutting operation may take place in a machine configured to receive a moving sheet 62, such as a sheet cutting system incorporating a pair of counter-rotating sheet cutting rollers 90 (see Figure 9), which are discussed in further detail below.
  • the plates can be left attached to the sheet roll, secondary operations such as lamination form fully sealed fuel cell, and finish FC units then be cut from the continuously fed material
  • the upper station portions 70a, 72a, 74a, 80a and 84a may be connected together in a common upper member 92.
  • the upper member 92 is movable to bring the station portions 70a, 72a, 74a, 80a and 84a into contact and away from contact with the first sheet surface 62a.
  • the lower station portions 70b, 72b, 74b, 80b and 84b may be connected together in a common lower member 94.
  • the upper and lower members 92 and 94 may operate together similarly to a stamping press and may be configured so that any patterned members therein, such as the plates with the flow channel pattern thereon in the feature forming station 72 can be easily interchanged with other plates having a different pattern thereon, facilitating the production of different configurations, sizes and shapes of separator plate.
  • the sheet 62 may be made sufficiently wide that it accommodates the production of two or more plates 18 side-by- side.
  • a widened intermittent feed portion 110 of the system 58 could be provided with pairs or other multiples of laterally-adjacent stations 70, 74, 76, 80 and 84 which would operate across the width of the sheet 62.
  • the cutting of the sheet 62 into individual plates 18, could be by means of a series of adjacent die punching stations
  • an indexing drive 96 is provided.
  • the indexing drive 96 is used to control the movement of the sheet 62 and to index the sheet 62 as necessary through the stations 68.
  • the indexing drive 96 includes a pair of upper drive belts 98 and a pair of lower drive belts 100.
  • the drive belts 98 and 100 support and grip the outer edges of the sheet 62.
  • At least one of the belts 98 and 100 is driven, however it is preferable that at least one pair of belts 98 or 100 be driven so that drive forces on the sheet 62 are generally symmetric about the sheet centerline in its direction of travel.
  • the upper belts 98 may be spring-biased to apply downward pressure on the sheet 62 against the lower belts 100, thereby increasing the grip between the belts and the sheet 62.
  • Intermediate rollers 102 may be provided where it is advantageous for the edges of the sheet 62 to clamped, such as at the feature forming station 72.
  • the indexing drive 96 may include a plurality of driven rollers
  • the drive belts 98 and 100 may be configured to cooperate with lifters (not shown) to lift the sheet 62 as necessary to clear structure in the lower station portions, such as the lower feature forming station portion 72b in particular. Once the sheet 62 has been lifted sufficiently to clear the structure in the lower station portions , the sheet 62 can then be indexed.
  • the means for driving any or all of the drive belts 98 and 100 may be any suitable means, such as a servomotor or a stepper motor (not shown).
  • the lower member 94 could be made movable, instead of providing lifters for the sheet 62.
  • the lower member 94 could be made to lower out of the way prior to indexing of the sheet 62, and could then rise to engage the sheet 62 again after the sheet 62 has indexed.
  • the particular operations taking place at the stations 68 may be other than those described, and may be lesser or greater in number than those shown and described above.
  • the stations for heating and forming the flow channels 28 and 30 and seal portions 44 may be replaced by heaters 104 and embossing rollers 106 as shown in Figure 9.
  • the set of stations 68 may have as little as one station that performs an operation on the sheet 62 while the sheet 62 is immobile.
  • the production system 58 may be divided into at least a first portion 108 that operates with a continuous feed of sheet 62, and a second portion 110 that operates with an intermittent feed of sheet 62. It will be appreciated that the average speed of the intermittent feed portion 110 has to equal the speed of the continuous feed portion 108. Therefore, the speed with which the sheet 62 is moved when being indexed between stations 68 will be substantially faster than the continuous feed rate of the sheet 62 in the continuous feed portion 108, to compensate for the time that the sheet 62 is immobile while operations are being performed thereon at the stations 68.
  • the production system 58 further includes a feed rate compensation system 112.
  • the feed rate compensation system 112 is positioned between the continuous feed portion 108 and the intermittent feed portion 110 and elongates or shortens the overall length of the sheet feed path as necessary to accommodate instantaneous differences in the feed rates in the two system portions 108 and 100.
  • the feed rate compensation system 112 includes a feed rate compensation roller 114, an upstream diversion roller 116 and a downstream diversion roller 118.
  • the upstream diversion roller 116 causes a change in angle in the direction of travel in the sheet 62.
  • the downstream diversion roller 118 positions the sheet 62 in a suitable position for its entry into the next downstream device or station, eg. heating station 70.
  • the feed rate compensation roller 114 is movable in a suitable direction to change the length of the sheet feed path between the first and second rollers 116 and 118. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the feed rate compensation roller 114 would be moved upwards when the sheet 62 is held immobile in the intermittent feed portion 110, thereby increasing the length of the sheet feed path. Conversely, the feed rate compensation roller 114 would be moved downwards when the sheet 62 is being indexed between stations in the intermittent feed portion 110, thereby decreasing the length of the sheet feed path.
  • the upstream diversion roller 116 it is possible for the upstream diversion roller 116 to be omitted if the angle of the sheet feed path without the upstream roller 116 would remain substantially constant from upstream equipment to the feed rate compensation roller 114 regardless of the position of the compensation roller 114 along its expected travel path.
  • the downstream diversion roller 118 it is possible for the downstream diversion roller 118 to be omitted if the angle of the sheet feed path without the downstream roller 118 would remain substantially constant from the feed rate compensation roller 114 to downstream equipment regardless of the position of the compensation roller 114 along its expected travel path.
  • the system 58 may include additional equipment that operates intermittently or continuously downstream from the intermittent feed portion 110, such as the aforementioned cutting rollers 90.
  • each separator plate 18 is shown as having flow channels 28 and 30 on both surfaces 24 and 26. Such plates 18 may be used as bipolar plates with fuel on one side and oxidant on the other side. It is alternatively possible for the separator plates 18 to have reactant gas channels 28 on their first side and a water cooling channel 30 on their second side 26.
  • the plates 18 could be made with a reactant gas channel 28 on one surface (eg. surface 24), and no channels on their other surface (eg. surface 26).
  • the outermost separator plate 18 at each end of the stack 10 may lack flow channels on its outward-facing surface.
  • the production system 58 ( Figure 4) provides flow channels 28 and 30 on both the first and second surfaces 62a and 62b of the sheet 62. It is alternatively possible, however, for the production system 58 to provide flow channels 28 on the first sheet surface 62a, and to leave the second sheet surface 62b blank. In this alternative, it is possible for the sheet surface 62a that has flow channels 28 therein to be either the upper or lower sheet surface.
  • FIG. 6 shows a production system 120 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the production system 120 may be similar to the production system 58 ( Figure 4) with the following exception.
  • the equipment dealing with the conductive particle coating to the sheet 62 operates both from above the sheet 62 and from below the sheet 62.
  • the system 120 is configured to operate on both sheet surfaces 62 and 62b from above the sheet 62 only.
  • the system 120 includes both the upper and lower station portions 70a and 70b, and 72a and 72b for the formation of the flow channels 28 and 30 and seal portions 44 in the sheet 62.
  • the system 120 includes stations 122, 124 and 126 for the application, embedment and clean-up of the conductive particles into the first sheet surface 62a and stations 128, 130 and 132 for the application, embedment and clean-up of the conductive particles into the second sheet surface 62b.
  • the station 122 is a conductive particle application station, and applies the particles from above the sheet 62 only, to the first sheet surface 62a.
  • the station 122 may be similar to the station 74a shown in Figure 4, and may have the conductive particle application device 76a and the seal members 78a.
  • the station 124 is a particle embedment station, and may be similar to the station 80 shown in Figure 4, except that the station 124 includes an upper station portion 124a with a sonotrode 134 and a lower station portion 124b with an anvil 136, instead of having devices that can each operate alternately as sonotrodes or anvils.
  • the station 126 is a clean-up station, and may be similar to the station 84a shown in Figure 4. [0090] After the sheet 62 passes through the stations 122, 124 and
  • the sheet 62 is routed so that the lower surface (ie. surface 62b) becomes the upper surface, and the upper surface (ie. surface 62a) becomes the lower surface.
  • the sheet 62 can be doubled back on itself, as shown in Figure 6 by passing the sheet 62 over a pair of rollers 138.
  • the sheet 62 may be progressively twisted.
  • the sheet 62 may be passed through the stations 128, 130 and 132. These stations may be similar to stations 122, 124 and 126, except that the stations 128, 130 and 132 are configured to coat the sheet surface 62b, which may have a different pattern of flow channels 30, than the flow channels 28 on the sheet surface 62a.
  • An advantage of operating on the sheet 62 from above only, is that gravity can be used to assist in the application and retention of conductive particles on the sheet surface.
  • Cutting the sheet 62 into individual plates 18 may be achieved by any suitable means such as by an additional cutting station downstream from the clean-up station 132, or by means of a pair of sheet cutting rollers 90 (Figure 9).
  • Figure 7 shows a magnified side sectional view of a separator plate 140 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the separator plate 140 is similar to the separator plate 18 except that the separator plate 140 has a conductive coating 141 that is made up of a conductive mesh 142.
  • the mesh 142 may be formed in any suitable way.
  • the mesh 142 may be an expanded metal.
  • the mesh 142 may be made from screen material.
  • a piece of mesh 142 having a selected size and shape may be provided and embedded into the first and second plate surfaces, which are shown at 144 and 146 in the regions where the plate 140 contacts the GDLs 14.
  • the mesh 142 may be embedded directly as it is applied by means of ultrasonic power.
  • the mesh 142 may cover the first and second flow channels shown at 148 and 150, however, the mesh 142 may be configured to not contact the channel walls or floor, shown at 152 and 154 respectively, as shown in Figure 7.
  • the separator plate 140 may be manufactured using several different methods and systems.
  • a production system 156 may be used, as shown in Figure 8.
  • the production system 156 may be similar to the production system 58 ( Figure 4), but includes fewer stations 68.
  • the stations 74, 80 and 84 ( Figure 4) are replaced by a first mesh embedment station 158 and a second mesh embedment station 160.
  • the first mesh embedment station 158 applies and embeds the mesh into the first sheet surface 62b.
  • the first mesh embedment station 158 includes a lower sonotrode 162 and an upper anvil 164.
  • a suitably sized piece of mesh 142 is positioned on the sonotrode 162.
  • the sonotrode 162 is brought into contact with the lower sheet surface (ie.
  • the sonotrode 162 applies ultrasonic power to heat the lower sheet surface 62b to permit the mesh 142 to be embedded therein.
  • a retaining means is not required to prevent the mesh 142 from falling away from the sonotrode 162, though it may be held in position by means of flexible tabs or walls around the perimeter of the sonotrode 162.
  • the second mesh embedment station 160 may be similar to the first mesh embedment station 158, except that the second mesh embedment station 160 includes an upper sonotrode 166 and a lower anvil 168.
  • the second mesh embedment station 160 applies and embeds the mesh into the upper sheet surface 62a.
  • a suitably sized piece of mesh 142 is positioned on the sonotrode 166.
  • the sonotrode 166 is brought into contact with the first sheet surface 62a and presses the mesh 142 therein. While pressing the mesh 142 into the sheet surface 62a, the sonotrode 166 applies ultrasonic power to heat the sheet surface 62a to permit the mesh 142 to be embedded therein.
  • some retaining means Prior to movement of the sonotrode 166 towards the sheet 62, some retaining means may be used to hold the mesh 142 against the sonotrode 166.
  • the retaining means may be, for example, a set of retractable pins, or may be any other suitable means for holding the mesh 142 on the sonotrode 166. It is alternatively possible to use a robot to preplace the mesh on the sheet prior to closure of the sonotrode 166 on the sheet 62.
  • the second mesh embedment station 160 can apply the mesh 142 to the lower sheet surface, which would be surface 62a, thereby eliminating the need for a retaining means to hold the mesh 142 on the sonotrode.
  • the second mesh embedment station 160 can be identical to the first mesh embedment station 158.
  • the mesh 142 may be fed to the sonotrodes 162 and 166 in any suitable way.
  • the mesh 142 may originate from a roll, which is cut or stamped in a separate process and then conveyed over to the system 140 for positioning on the sonotrodes 162 and 166.
  • the production system 170 produces separator plates 18 while maintaining a continuous feed on the sheet 62 throughout the entirety of the sheet feed path.
  • the system 170 does not require a feed rate compensation system, such as is used in the system 58 shown in Figure 4.
  • the production system 170 includes the sheet production system 60, which includes the extruder 64 and the sizing rollers 66, and further includes a set of counter-rotating embossing rollers 106 and optionally a set of heaters 104.
  • the embossing rollers 106 are provided with an embossing pattern thereon for embossing the flow channels 28 and 30 into the sheet 62 as it passes through the rollers 106.
  • the embossing rollers 106 may also emboss the seal portions 44 on the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b, and additionally, the apertures 40 and 42 through the sheet 62.
  • the optional heaters 104 are provided to heat the sheet 62 to make it sufficiently workable by the embossing rollers 106.
  • the heaters 104 may be resistance heaters, using resistance heater wire, foil or coil elements.
  • the heaters 104 may be heat lamps with adjustable power, distance to the sheet 62 and heating time.
  • the heaters 104 may be induction heaters which heat the sheet 62 by inducing a current in the sheet 62. This is possible particularly since the sheet 62 is made from a conductive composite. Forced convention flow on the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b and heat shields can be used to assist in controlling the amount of heat absorbed by the sheet 62 and/or to set up a selected temperature profile across the sheet 62.
  • the sheet 62 may be sufficiently hot and workable as it comes out from the sizing rollers 66, depending on, among other things, the specific layout of the equipment and the properties of the material being worked.
  • the conductive particle application system 172 Downstream from the embossing rollers 106 is a conductive particle application station 172.
  • the conductive particle application system 172 includes a conductive particle feed device 174, which delivers conductive particles to a conductive particle application roller 176.
  • the conductive particle feed device 174 may be, for example, one or more spray nozzles which spray the conductive particles onto the surface of the conductive particle application roller 176.
  • the conductive particle removal device 178 removes conductive particles that remain adhered to the rollers 176.
  • the particle removal device 178 may include, for example, a doctor blade that scrapes the surface of the roller 106 as the roller 106 rotates. The material that is removed by the removal device 178 may be collected and reused if it remains usable.
  • the roller 176 may use printing technology to assist in applying the conductive particles onto the sheet 62. As such, the conductive particles may be applied to the roller 176 in the form of an 'ink'. The material of the roller 176 may be selected to release the 'ink' onto the sheet 62. [00108] The roller 176 could optionally be equipped with a raised pattern on its printing surface. The raised pattern would receive the 'ink' and would contact the sheet 62 applying the 'ink' to the sheet 62 with high accuracy.
  • the conductive particle application station 172 could alternatively spray the conductive particles directly onto the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b. Where a difficulty occurs with adhesion of the particles on the lower sheet surface 62b, the particles may be provided in a solution with a carrier liquid, and the solution may be sprayed onto the sheet surface 62b.
  • a heating station Downstream from the conductive particle application station 172 is a heating station with a pair of heaters 180.
  • the heaters 180 heat the sheet 62 to soften the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b sufficiently to permit the subsequent embedment of the conductive particles into the surfaces 62a and 62b by at an embedment station, using a pair of embedment rollers 182.
  • the heaters 180 may heat the sheet 62 in selected regions, instead of heating the sheet 62 uniformly. To facilitate this the heaters 180 may be infrared heaters. Alternatively, the heaters 180 can be other types of heaters, such as induction heaters.
  • the embedment rollers 182 include embedment pads 184, which have selected patterns thereon corresponding to the regions of the sheet 62 that are selected for particle embedment.
  • the embedment rollers 182 apply pressure on the sheet 62 through the embedment pads 184 to drive and embed a selected portion of the conductive particles into the surfaces 62a and 62b.
  • the clean-up stations 186 each include a housing 188 and a blower 190.
  • the housing 188 has a flexible seal wall that seals loosely against the sheet 62.
  • the housing 188 further has an inlet 192 for blasting air, which may optionally having entrained therein, blasting particulate.
  • the blower 190 is positioned in the inlet 192 to draw blasting air into the housing 188 and to blow the blasting air against the sheet 62 to clean off and entrain any unembedded conductive particles.
  • the housing 188 further has an outlet 194 through which the blasting air and any entrained material (eg. conductive particles and/or blasting particles) exit and are sent to a particulate collection device, such as a dust collector.
  • a vacuum source may be fluidically connected to the outlet 194 to assist in drawing the blasting air and any entrained material out of the housing 188.
  • the air flow from the blower 190 in the housing 188 is generally counter-current to the direction of travel of the sheet 62. This increases the relative velocity between the blown air and the sheet 62, to assist in entraining particles off the sheet 62.
  • the clean-up stations it is possible for the clean-up stations to be configured to direct the air flow in other directions relative to the direction of travel of the sheet 62.
  • air at a selected pressure may be sprayed onto the sheet 62 using high velocity spray nozzles.
  • a system using spray nozzles could be similar to the particle removal station portions 84a and 84b.
  • the air velocity required to clean the sheet 62 depends on the level of adhesion of the conductive particles to the sheet surfaces 62a and 62b.
  • the sheet 62 may pass through a sheet cutting station with a pair of the sheet cutting rollers 90.
  • the sheet cutting rollers 90 are equipped with cutting dies for cutting the sheet 62 into a plurality of plates 18.
  • the systems 170 could be modified to apply a mesh coating to the sheet 62.
  • the particle application systems 172, the heaters 180, the particle embedment rollers 182 and the clean-up stations 186 would all be replaced by a pair of heaters and a pair of mesh application rollers (not shown).
  • the mesh 142 (see Figure 7) could be fed in a prefabricated shape onto pads the mesh application rollers (not shown), and would be retained thereon by any suitable releasable retaining means.
  • FIG. 10 shows a fuel cell production system 196 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the fuel cell production system 196 includes first and second rolls 198 of sheet 62 that has been run through any of the previously described production systems 58, 120, 156 or 170, but that has not yet been cut into separator plates 18 or 140.
  • the system 196 further includes a roll 200 of MEA sheet 202, that is made up of the catalyzed membrane 12 and a GDL 14 on each side thereof, all in the form of a three-layer continuous sheet.
  • Rollers 204 may be used to bring the three sheets 62 and 202 together.
  • the rollers 204 may also be powered to drive the sheets 62 and 202 through the system 196.
  • the three sheets 62 and 202 may be passed through an ultrasonic welding system 206, which includes a sonotrode 208 and an anvil 210.
  • the ultrasonic welding system 206 may weld the three layers together in similar fashion to the ultrasonic welding illustrated in Figure 3a.
  • the ultrasonic welding system 206 may operate as an intermittent feed system, in that the sheets 62 and 202 may be immobile during the ultrasonic welding operation.
  • a feed rate compensation system is not required in this system, however, because the sheets are provided on rolls, and thus their feed rate can be modified as needed without impacting on the performance of any equipment, such as an extruder.
  • the sonotrode 208 could alternatively be positioned beneath the sheets 62 and 202, while the anvil 210 could be positioned above.
  • FIG. 11 shows a fuel cell production system 218 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the system 218 may be similar to the system 196 except that instead of ultrasonically welding the sheets 62 and 202 together, the system 218 bonds the sheets 62 and 202 together by heating the sheets 62 and 202 using heaters 104 and by pressing the sheets 62 and 202 together with a plurality of rollers 218 and 220. At least one of the sets of rollers 218 or 220 is biased towards the other set of rollers 220 or 218.
  • Alignment means such as apertures and bosses can be preformed on the sheets 62 and 202 to facilitate alignment of the sheets 62 and 202 when they are brought together in the systems shown in Figures 10 and 11.
  • Catalyst materials such as Platinum or graphite can be applied and embedded into the membrane 12 in similar fashion to the methods described herein for embedment into the separator plate. Furthermore, the recesses and seal portions described above on the separator plate can instead be incorporated into the membrane 12.
  • the production systems 58, 120 and 156 have all been described as immobilizing the sheet 62 so that an operation can be performed on the sheet by a piece of equipment that could be opened and closed, but was otherwise immobile. It is alternatively possible that the sheet 62 could remain mobile throughout all the operations, and that the stations could be made to be mobile, so that they would travel along with the moving sheet 62 while performing an operation on the sheet 62. In this way, the sheet 62 would be immobile relative to the stations during the operations.
  • the stations 62 could be mounted on a frame that is capable of being moved forwards and backwards along the sheet feed path. The frame would advance in sync with the sheet 62 during the operations. The stations would then open. When the sheet 62 clears the structure in the stations, the frame would index back to a starting point, where it would then begin advancing in the direction of the sheet feed. The stations would then close on the sheet to repeat the operations.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Composite Materials (AREA)
  • Fuel Cell (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une plaque bipolaire destinée à une pile à combustible. Cette plaque bipolaire comprend un corps de plaque constitué d'un mélange de matière polymère et de matière conductrice. Un revêtement en matière conductrice est intégré dans au moins une surface du corps de plaque. Ce revêtement peut se présenter sous la forme de particules conductrices. En variante, ce revêtement peut se présenter sous la forme d'un maillage conducteur. En outre, l'invention concerne des méthodes de fabrication pour la production de plaques bipolaires, de piles à combustible et de feuilles continues à utiliser dans des piles à combustible.
PCT/CA2005/000813 2004-05-29 2005-05-30 Plaque bipolaire pour une pile a combustible et systeme de production destine a des produits a utiliser dans des piles a combustible WO2005117165A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US52159104P 2004-05-29 2004-05-29
US60/521,591 2004-05-29

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EP1979966A2 (fr) * 2005-12-29 2008-10-15 UTC Power Corporation Ensemble électrode unifié de piles à combustible soudées par ultrasons
WO2009131580A1 (fr) * 2008-04-24 2009-10-29 Utc Power Corporation Composant de pile à combustible et procédés de fabrication
DE102010054305A1 (de) * 2010-12-13 2012-06-14 Daimler Ag Brennstoffzellenstapel mit mehreren Brennstoffzellen
WO2018115952A1 (fr) * 2016-12-22 2018-06-28 Daimler Ag Procédé de fabrication d'une plaque de séparation pour une pile à combustible, plaque de séparation et produit semi-fini pour ladite plaque de séparation
CN113991495A (zh) * 2021-12-27 2022-01-28 河北科技大学 一种基于智能制造平台的电力设备自动化组装机构

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WO2001005571A1 (fr) * 1999-07-15 2001-01-25 Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc. Plaque collectrice de pile a combustible a conductivite amelioree et procede de fabrication
US20030096151A1 (en) * 2001-11-20 2003-05-22 Blunk Richard H. Low contact resistance PEM fuel cell
WO2003069707A1 (fr) * 2002-02-13 2003-08-21 Dupont Canada Inc. Procede de fabrication de plaques de separation de pile a combustible sous faible contrainte de cisaillement
US20030211378A1 (en) * 2002-05-10 2003-11-13 3M Innovative Properties Company Fuel cell membrane electrode assembly with sealing surfaces
US20040058249A1 (en) * 2002-09-25 2004-03-25 Yuqi Cai Mesh reinforced fuel cell separator plate
US20040062974A1 (en) * 2002-07-09 2004-04-01 Abd Elhamid Mahmoud H. Separator plate for PEM fuel cell

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WO2001005571A1 (fr) * 1999-07-15 2001-01-25 Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc. Plaque collectrice de pile a combustible a conductivite amelioree et procede de fabrication
US20030096151A1 (en) * 2001-11-20 2003-05-22 Blunk Richard H. Low contact resistance PEM fuel cell
WO2003069707A1 (fr) * 2002-02-13 2003-08-21 Dupont Canada Inc. Procede de fabrication de plaques de separation de pile a combustible sous faible contrainte de cisaillement
US20030211378A1 (en) * 2002-05-10 2003-11-13 3M Innovative Properties Company Fuel cell membrane electrode assembly with sealing surfaces
US20040062974A1 (en) * 2002-07-09 2004-04-01 Abd Elhamid Mahmoud H. Separator plate for PEM fuel cell
US20040058249A1 (en) * 2002-09-25 2004-03-25 Yuqi Cai Mesh reinforced fuel cell separator plate

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1979966A2 (fr) * 2005-12-29 2008-10-15 UTC Power Corporation Ensemble électrode unifié de piles à combustible soudées par ultrasons
EP1979966A4 (fr) * 2005-12-29 2010-01-20 Utc Power Corp Ensemble électrode unifié de piles à combustible soudées par ultrasons
US8921010B2 (en) 2005-12-29 2014-12-30 Ballard Power Systems Inc. Method of preparing a fuel cell unitized electrode assembly by ultrasonic welding
WO2009131580A1 (fr) * 2008-04-24 2009-10-29 Utc Power Corporation Composant de pile à combustible et procédés de fabrication
DE102010054305A1 (de) * 2010-12-13 2012-06-14 Daimler Ag Brennstoffzellenstapel mit mehreren Brennstoffzellen
WO2018115952A1 (fr) * 2016-12-22 2018-06-28 Daimler Ag Procédé de fabrication d'une plaque de séparation pour une pile à combustible, plaque de séparation et produit semi-fini pour ladite plaque de séparation
CN110313091A (zh) * 2016-12-22 2019-10-08 戴姆勒股份有限公司 燃料电池隔离板的制造方法、隔离板和隔离板的中间产品
CN110313091B (zh) * 2016-12-22 2022-07-29 燃料电池中心两合股份有限公司 燃料电池隔离板的制造方法、隔离板和隔离板的中间产品
CN113991495A (zh) * 2021-12-27 2022-01-28 河北科技大学 一种基于智能制造平台的电力设备自动化组装机构

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