WO2012071038A1 - Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly - Google Patents
Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2012071038A1 WO2012071038A1 PCT/US2010/057928 US2010057928W WO2012071038A1 WO 2012071038 A1 WO2012071038 A1 WO 2012071038A1 US 2010057928 W US2010057928 W US 2010057928W WO 2012071038 A1 WO2012071038 A1 WO 2012071038A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- plate
- outermost
- plates
- fuel cell
- rotation members
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status 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 status listed.)
- Ceased
Links
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
- H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
- H01M8/2465—Details of groupings of fuel cells
- H01M8/247—Arrangements for tightening a stack, for accommodation of a stack in a tank or for assembling different tanks
- H01M8/248—Means for compression of the fuel cell stacks
-
- 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
-
- 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
-
- 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
- H01M8/0297—Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other
-
- 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
Definitions
- Fuel cells use an electrochemical reaction to generate electricity.
- Typical fuel cell arrangements include a cell stack assembly (CSA) having a relatively large number of individual plates stacked next to each other. There are different kinds of plates within the CSA as known.
- CSA cell stack assembly
- An exemplary fuel cell assembly includes a cell stack having a plurality of cells.
- the cell stack has an outermost plate at each of two opposite ends of the cell stack.
- An end plate is adjacent the outermost plate at each of the opposite ends.
- a plurality of anti-rotation members at each of the opposite ends prevent relative movement between the outermost plates and the end plates.
- the anti-rotation members at each end are at least partially received into the end plate at the corresponding end.
- the anti-rotation members at each end are only partially received into the outermost plate at the corresponding end without extending through the outermost plate.
- An exemplary method of controlling the position of fuel cell stack assembly components relative to end plates on each of two opposite ends of the cell stack assembly includes providing an outermost plate at the opposites ends of the cell stack assembly with a plurality of recesses facing toward the adjacent end plate. Each end plate is provided with a plurality of recesses facing toward the adjacent outermost plate. An anti-rotation member is inserted at least partially into the recesses for preventing relative movement between the outermost plates and the end plates. The anti-rotation members are only partially received into the outermost plate at the corresponding end without extending through the outermost plate.
- Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example fuel cell assembly.
- Figure 2 is a cross-sectional illustration taken along the lines 2-2 in Figure 1.
- Figure 3 is a partially exploded view of selected portions of the example of Figure 1.
- a cell stack 22 includes a plurality of plates 24, 26 and 28. As known, the different plates within the cell stack 22 establish individual cells in a known manner. For example, some of the plates are transport plates, some of the plates are membranes, some of the plates are separator plates, etc.
- the materials for the plates 24, 26 and 28 within the cell stack 22 and the pressure applied to the assembly 20 is sufficient under most circumstances for maintaining a desired alignment between the plates within the stack 22.
- the conditions at the outermost or opposite ends of the assembly 20 are different, however.
- An outermost plate 32 at each of the opposite ends of the cell stack 22 are received against an end plate 32.
- the outermost plates 30 comprise graphite separator plates.
- the end plates 32 comprise metal.
- One example includes steel end plates 32.
- Another example includes a graphite plate that is a current collector and a pressure plate.
- the disclosed example includes an anti-clocking feature that prevents relative rotation or movement between the outermost plates 30 and the end plates 32.
- anti-rotation members 34 are at least partially received into recesses 36 in the end plates 30.
- the anti-rotation members 34 are also at least partially received into recesses 38 in the outermost plates 30.
- the anti-rotation members 34 do not extend all the way through the outermost plates 30. They only partially penetrate into the outermost plates 30 as they are received in the recesses 38.
- the anti-rotation members 34 comprise generally cylindrical pins.
- the anti-rotation members 34 comprise an electrically non- conductive material.
- the pins are made of a thermoplastic material in one example.
- One particular example includes polyoxymethylene anti-rotation members 34.
- the material selected for the anti-rotation members 34 preferably has some elasticity.
- the geometry and orientation of the anti-rotation members 34 and the elasticity ensure that any force that would tend to cause relative rotation between the end plates 32 and the outermost plates 30 will tend to deform the anti-rotation members 34 before that force would have any adverse affect on the outermost plates 30.
- the anti-rotation members 34 are more fragile in the direction of a force that would tend to cause relative rotation between the end plates 32 and the outermost plates 30 (e.g., perpendicular to a length of the pins) would cause the anti- rotation members 34 to break before that force will adversely affect the outermost plates 30.
- the anti-rotation members 34 ensure a proper alignment between the outermost plates 30 and the end plates 32.
- the interface between these two plates does not otherwise provide a sufficiently reliable placement or relative orientation between those components. Maintaining a desired alignment between the outermost plates 30 and the end plates 32 tends to prevent any misalignment between other plates within the south stack 22 because any relative rotary movement or clocking within a cell stack assembly typically includes movement at the end of the stack. By preventing movement at the end of the stack, additional movement at the next interface moving inward toward a center of the south stack 22 is preventable.
- Part of this invention includes the discovery that maintaining a desired alignment at the outer edges of the cell stack 22 avoids clocking or misalignment throughout the stack 22.
- the interfaces between the plates 24, 26 and 28 and the typical pressure used to hold the stack 22 together is usually sufficient to keep the plates within the stack 22 aligned with each other.
- clocking or relative rotational movement occurs, a plurality of the plates within the cell stack 22 tend to move as a unit because of the characteristics of the interface between them. Therefore, relative movement between an outermost plate 30 and an adjacent end plate 32 tends to result in additional relative movement within the cell stack 22.
- the disclosed example provides an efficient way of maintaining alignment throughout the entire cell stack assembly by securing the interface between the outermost plates 30 and the end plates 32 without requiring additional securing members at the interfaces between the plates within the cell stack 22. Therefore, the disclosed example is believed more economical and efficient than other proposed arrangements that require or include fixing members between the plates within the cell stack along with specially designed plates for purposes of maintaining an alignment between the plates at the interfaces between them.
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Sustainable Energy (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Fuel Cell (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| KR1020137011785A KR20130073985A (en) | 2010-11-24 | 2010-11-24 | Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly |
| US13/883,898 US20130230789A1 (en) | 2010-11-24 | 2010-11-24 | Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly |
| PCT/US2010/057928 WO2012071038A1 (en) | 2010-11-24 | 2010-11-24 | Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2010/057928 WO2012071038A1 (en) | 2010-11-24 | 2010-11-24 | Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2012071038A1 true WO2012071038A1 (en) | 2012-05-31 |
Family
ID=46146141
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2010/057928 Ceased WO2012071038A1 (en) | 2010-11-24 | 2010-11-24 | Fuel cell assembly with anti-clocking features at the ends of the cell stack assembly |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US20130230789A1 (en) |
| KR (1) | KR20130073985A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2012071038A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP6800257B2 (en) * | 2019-02-04 | 2020-12-16 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | How to assemble the fuel cell stack and the fuel cell stack |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20050095484A1 (en) * | 2003-10-31 | 2005-05-05 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Registration arrangement for fuel cell assemblies |
| US20070154770A1 (en) * | 2003-08-15 | 2007-07-05 | David Frank | End plate for an electrochemical cell stack |
| JP2008066178A (en) * | 2006-09-08 | 2008-03-21 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Fuel cell stack |
| WO2008084808A1 (en) * | 2007-01-09 | 2008-07-17 | Panasonic Corporation | Fuel cell |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5547777A (en) * | 1994-02-23 | 1996-08-20 | Richards Engineering | Fuel cell having uniform compressive stress distribution over active area |
| JP3596761B2 (en) * | 2000-12-27 | 2004-12-02 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Polymer electrolyte fuel cell |
| KR100405479B1 (en) * | 2001-07-03 | 2003-11-14 | 현대자동차주식회사 | End plate for fuel cell stack |
| DE10261482A1 (en) * | 2002-12-23 | 2004-07-01 | Basf Ag | Fuel cell module for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stacks used e.g. in vehicles comprises a bipolar plate and a membrane-electrode unit |
| US7763374B2 (en) * | 2006-11-22 | 2010-07-27 | Atomic Energy Council | Membrane fuel cell electrodes incorporated with carbon nanomaterial-supported electrocatalysts and methods of making the same |
-
2010
- 2010-11-24 KR KR1020137011785A patent/KR20130073985A/en not_active Ceased
- 2010-11-24 US US13/883,898 patent/US20130230789A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2010-11-24 WO PCT/US2010/057928 patent/WO2012071038A1/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20070154770A1 (en) * | 2003-08-15 | 2007-07-05 | David Frank | End plate for an electrochemical cell stack |
| US20050095484A1 (en) * | 2003-10-31 | 2005-05-05 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Registration arrangement for fuel cell assemblies |
| JP2008066178A (en) * | 2006-09-08 | 2008-03-21 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Fuel cell stack |
| WO2008084808A1 (en) * | 2007-01-09 | 2008-07-17 | Panasonic Corporation | Fuel cell |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US20130230789A1 (en) | 2013-09-05 |
| KR20130073985A (en) | 2013-07-03 |
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