Isolating water transport plates from elastomer seals
US9761892B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 30, 2012 |
| Grant date | Sep 12, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 30, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/50
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fuel cell stack (11) includes a plurality of contiguous fuel cells (13), each including a unitized electrode assembly (15) sandwiched between porous, anode (22) and cathode water transport plates (18). In areas where silicone rubber (29) or other elastomer covers edges of the fuel cells in order to form seals with an external manifold (27), adjacent edges of the water transport plates are supplanted by, or augmented with, an elastomer-impervious material (34). This prevents infusion of elastomer to the WTPs which can cause sufficient hydrophobicity as to reduce or eliminate water bubble pressure required to isolate the reactant gases from the coolant water, thereby preventing gaseous inhibition of the coolant pump. A preformed insert (34) may be cast into the water transport plates as molded, or a fusible or curable non-elastomer, elastomer-impervious in fluent form may be deposited into the pores of already formed water transport plates, and then fused or cured.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.