Fuel cell stack

US7348093B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Maximilian Danzer · Scheyern, DE
• Franz-Josef Wetzel · Gernlinden, DE
• Xiaofeng Yan · Waiblingen, DE
• Thomas Hoefler · Stuttgart, DE
• Bernd Kuhn · Frankfurt am Main, DE
• Andreas Stoermer · Bad Aibling, DE
• Olav Finkenwirth · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 24, 2005
• Grant date: Mar 25, 2008
• Expiry date: Feb 24, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E60/50
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel cell stack which is composed of several individual fuel cells that are stacked on top of each other. Each of said fuel cells comprises a cathode-electrolyte-anode unit (7) and a perforated film (1) which distributes a combustible gas across the first electrode surface thereof, supports the cathode-electrolyte-anode unit (7), and is combined into a cassette (4) that is provided with a hollow space along with an additional structure (3). The combustible gas reaches the first electrode (7A) via said cassette (4). The side of each cassette (4), which is located opposite the cathode-electrolyte-anode unit (7), is provide with a structure for distributing atmospheric oxygen across the surface of the second electrode of a neighboring cassette such that the stack is formed by several superimposed cassettes (4), between the film (1) of which a cathode-electrolyte-anode unit (7) and the structure for distributing atmospheric oxygen across the surface of the second electrode are disposed along with the additional structure (3). In order to brace the individual cassettes against each other in a housing or similar, the inventive stack comprises at least one braci…