Fabrication of gas impervious edge seal for a bipolar gas distribution assembly for use in a fuel cell
US4588661A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 27, 1984 |
| Grant date | May 13, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/4911
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A bipolar gas reactant distribution assembly for use in a fuel cell is disclosed, the assembly having a solid edge seal to prevent leakage of gaseous reactants wherein a pair of porous plates are provided with peripheral slits generally parallel to, and spaced apart from two edges of the plate, the slit being filled with a solid, fusible, gas impervious edge sealing compound. The plates are assembled with opposite faces adjacent one another with a layer of a fusible sealant material therebetween the slits in the individual plates being approximately perpendicular to one another. The plates are bonded to each other by the simultaneous application of heat and pressure to cause a redistribution of the sealant into the pores of the adjacent plate surfaces and to cause the edge sealing compound to flow and impregnate the region of the plates adjacent the slits and comingle with the sealant layer material to form a continuous layer of sealant along the edges of the assembled plates.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.