The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for improved reactant and coolant flow sealing within fluid-delivery plates used in a fuel cell assembly, and more particularly to the use of a seal stabilizer to counteract the tendency of misaligned plate stacks to form gaps in such seals.
Fuel cells convert a fuel into usable energy via electrochemical reaction. A significant benefit to such an approach is that it is achieved without reliance upon combustion as an intermediate step. As such, fuel cells have several environmental advantages over internal combustion engines (ICEs) for propulsion and related motive applications. In a typical fuel cell—such as a proton exchange membrane or polymer electrolyte membrane (in either event, PEM) fuel cell—a pair of catalyzed electrodes are separated by an ion-transmissive medium (such as Nafion™) in what is commonly referred to as a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The electrochemical reaction occurs when a first reactant in the form of a gaseous reducing agent (such as hydrogen, H2) is introduced to and ionized at the anode and then made to pass through the ion-transmissive medium such that it combines with a second reactant in the form of a gaseous oxidizing agent (such as oxygen, O2) that has been introduced through the other electrode (the cathode); this combination of reactants form water as a byproduct. The electrons that were liberated in the ionization of the first reactant proceed in the form of direct current (DC) to the cathode via external circuit that typically includes a load (such as an electric motor, as well as various pumps, valves, compressors or other fluid delivery components) where useful work may be performed. The power generation produced by this flow of DC electricity can be increased by combining numerous such cells into a larger current-producing assembly. In one such construction, the fuel cells are connected along a common stacking dimension in the assembly—much like a deck of cards—to form a fuel cell stack.
In such a stack, adjacent MEAs are separated from one another by a series of reactant flow channels, typically in the form of a gas impermeable, electrically conductive bipolar plates. In one common form, the channels are of a generally serpentine layout, although other forms—including those with generally straight or sinusoidal patterns—may also be used. Regardless of the channel shape, it covers the majority of the opposing generally planar surfaces of each plate. The juxtaposition of the plate and MEA promotes the conveyance of one of the reactants to or from the fuel cell, while additional channels (that are fluidly decoupled from the reactant channels) may also be used for coolant delivery. In one configuration, the bipolar plate is itself an assembly formed by securing a pair of thin metal sheets (called half plates) that have the channels stamped or otherwise integrally formed on their surfaces, while in another, the assembly includes an additional interstitial sheet with channels to put coolant into thermal communication with the adjacent anode and cathode channels of the outer sheets. Regardless of whether the assembly is two-sheet or three-sheet variety, the various reactant and coolant flowpaths formed by the channels on each of these sheets typically convene at a manifold (also referred to herein as a manifold region or manifold area) defined on one or more opposing edges of the plate. Examples of all of these features - as well as a typical construction of such bipolar plate assemblies that may be used in PEM fuel cells - are shown and described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,624 and 8,679,697, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
It is important to avoid leakage and related disparate fluid crosstalk within a PEM fuel cell stack. In particular, the cross-sectional area of a flow channels formed on the surface of the plates is significantly smaller than that of the fluidly-coupled manifold. As such, the reactants or coolant entering the flow channels from the corresponding manifold experience a significant pressure rise. To mitigate against leakage of such high pressure fluids, seals (typically in the form of an elastomeric seal bead, gasket or the like) may be placed between adjacent bipolar plates. In one form, the plates may include grooves or related channels in the form of sub-gaskets that are formed within the surface. In such construction, these grooves that can accept a seal therein are generally similar to that of the previously-mentioned flowpath channels, and are especially prevalent around the various apertures that are formed within the headers or manifolds, as well as around the plate center that corresponds to the active area defined by the MEA. In other configurations, the grooves are not required. In such construction, variations in the dimension of the seals would have additional flexibility. Regardless of whether the seals are configured to cooperate with grooved or non-grooved surfaces, by virtue of their constituent materials (for example, resilient elastomer-based compounds), the gasket and seals may also provide electrical insulation between the anode and cathode sides of the plates.
Ideally, these seals form good fluid-tight connections between adjacent plates once compression and subsequent stack assembly has been completed. In practice, even slight plate misalignment leads to out-of-plane rotation between adjacent plates that leads to variations in pressure applied to the corresponding seals, resulting in gaps being formed in the seals, while more severe misalignment may result in seal failure (such as through buckling or the like). It would be desirable to reduce seal misalignment and resulting plate rotation that harms the ability of the seals to perform their fluid-containment functions.
It is an object of the disclosure to provide a seal stabilizer that will mitigate the impact of seal-to-seal misalignment that may be due to plate-to-plate misalignment in configurations where the seal is attached to the plate, MEA-to-MEA misalignment in configurations where the seal is attached to an MEA-based sub-gasket, as well as simply seal-to-seal misalignment in configurations where the seal is not attached to either a plate or the MEA. The present inventor observed that control of seal misalignment and free rotation between plates may help to achieve such seal stabilization. For example, buckling of the seal is more likely to happen when the seal-to-seal misalignment along the stacking axis is greater, as this creates plate tilting (i.e., rotation) near its unsupported/cantilevered edges. In one form, this can take place around an outer edge, while in another, around the headers or along the long edge around the cell active area. This in turn tends to form an angle for the seal compressive force that then leads to a horizontal (i.e., in-plane) force that has a tendency to push the seal out of its intended placement, especially when the friction or adhesion between the seal and groove is low. The present inventor has further determined that this creates an eccentricity that can lead to an incompressible deformation and subsequent buckling of the seal.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a fuel cell system includes a stack made up of numerous cells each of which includes an MEA cooperative with a plate that may be part of a bipolar plate or related multi-plate assembly. The plate defines one or more fluid channels formed on its surface for the flow of coolant or reactant thereacross. One or more seals are placed on surfaces of the plate along the plate stacking axis such that the repeating seal arrangement is generally aligned, while a seal stabilizer is included to meliorate the effect of sealing offsets due to any misalignment between the stacked assemblies. The seal stabilizer is placed near to the seal in order to resist any tendency by a moment couple (also called force couple) produced by the compressive force of the stack onto the seals to cause an angular (i.e., non-parallel) orientation to between adjacent ones of the plates within the stacked configuration. In one preferred embodiment, the seal is placed substantially coplanar with the stabilizer, while in another preferred embodiment, the seal and the stabilizer are formed on the same plate surface. In yet another preferred embodiment, a sub-gasket may form or be cooperative with the MEA such that the stabilizer is attached to it to achieve the aforementioned reduction or elimination of MEA-to-MEA misalignment.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of assembling a fuel cell system includes placing numerous fuel cells on top of one another in a stacked configuration and placing a seal stabilizer in cooperative engagement with the seal such that the stabilizer inhibits misalignment-induced rotation between adjacent plates within the stack. In particular, the plates that provide structural support and fluid delivery to a respective MEA have a tendency upon stacking misalignment to impart in-plane forces as well as out-of-plane rotational forces to adjacent bipolar plates; the inclusion of the stabilizers in substantially coplanar locations that are adjacent the seals—while not preventing the misalignment itself—at least mitigates the effects of such misalignment by providing enough of an interference fit to resist such in-plane and rotational tendencies.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of preventing seal buckling within an assembled fuel cell system includes placing numerous fuel cells on top of one another in a stacked configuration and placing a seal stabilizer in cooperative engagement with the seal such that the misalignment-based rotation between adjacent ones of the bipolar plates within the stacked configuration is reduced at least along an axial dimension defined by the seal to an extent that avoids a fluid-liberating deformation therein. In the present context, buckling is understood to be a phenomena that manifests itself predominantly along the elongate dimension of a structure. With particular regard to the seals used between bipolar plates, the aspect ratio of the seal is such that it is far longer (often by orders of magnitude) along its axial dimension than they along the radial or lateral dimension. As such, the occurrence of buckling is likely to manifest itself as a bend, hump or related undulation being formed along at least a portion of the length of the seal such that a gap that in turn permits the relatively unimpeded leakage of the fluid that the seal was designed to contain.
These and other objects, features, embodiments, and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description and the appended claims.
The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which the various components of the drawings are not necessarily illustrated to scale:
Referring initially to
In addition to providing a substantially porous flowpath for reactant gases to reach the appropriate side of the proton exchange membrane 10, the diffusion layers 50 and 60 provide electrical contact between the electrode catalyst layers 20, 30 and a bipolar plate 70 that in turn acts as a current collector. Moreover, by its generally porous nature, the diffusion layers 50 and 60 also form a conduit for removal of product gases generated at the catalyst layers 20, 30. Furthermore, the cathode diffusion layer 60 generates significant quantities of water vapor in the cathode diffusion layer. Such feature is important for helping to keep the proton exchange membrane 10 hydrated. Water permeation in the diffusion layers can be adjusted through the introduction of small quantities of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or related material.
Although shown notionally as having a thick-walled structure, bipolar plates 70 preferably employ a thin-walled structure (as will be shown and described in more detail below); as such,
In operation, a first gaseous reactant, such as H2, is delivered to the anode 20 side of the MEA 40 through the channels 72 from plate 70A, while a second gaseous reactant, such as O2 (typically in the form of air) is delivered to the cathode 30 side of the MEA 40 through the channels 72 from plate 70B. Catalytic reactions occur at the anode 20 and the cathode 30 respectively, producing protons that migrate through the proton exchange membrane 10 and electrons that result in an electric current that may be transmitted through the diffusion layers 50 and 60 and bipolar plate 70 by virtue of contact between the lands 74B and the layers 50 and 60.
Referring next to
Seals 80 (which are preferably made from a resilient plastic or elastomers (including polyacrylate, alhydrated chlorosulphonated polyethylene, ethylene acrylic, chloroprene, chlorosulphonated polyethylene, ethylene propylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, perfluoroelastomer, flourocarbon, flourosilicone, hydrogenated nitrile, polyisoprene, microecllular polyurethane, nitrile rubber, natural rubber, polyurethane, styrene-butadiene rubber, TFE/propylene, silicone, carboxylated nitrile or the like) are seated on portions of the plates 70 that are adjacent fluid conduit (such as the apertures in the header area 70H, as well as around the active area 70ACT). In the present context, the stacking dimension of the fuel cell 1 may be along a substantially vertical (i.e., Y) Cartesean axis so that the majority of the surface of each of the bipolar plates 70 is in the X-Z plane that is substantially orthogonal to the stacking axis. Regardless, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the particular orientation of the cells 1, plates 70 and stack isn't critical, but rather provides a convenient way to visualize the placement of the seals 80 and seal stabilizers 90 of the present invention (both shown and described in more detail below), as well as situations where the seals 80 and their respective bipolar plates 70 are or are not ideally aligned with one another.
As mentioned above, one or more groove-like sub-gaskets may be formed into the surface of the bipolar plate 70 to define a seal bead region (not shown). As with the grooves, channels and other features mentioned above, the seal bead regions may be formed by stamping or other forming operations (in configurations where the seal bead region is formed as a groove in the plate surface). In one preferred form, the seal bead regions may define a trough-like shape with a semicircular cross-sectional profile to accommodate a comparably-sized seal 80. The seal bead regions allow placement of a seal 80 therein, where the seal 80 is preferably made from an elastic, compliant material to promote deformability upon compressing two adjacent plates 70 together. As shown seals 80 may be placed around some or all of the active area 70ACT, header area 70H or both to promote fluid-tightness in the regions adjacent the reactant, coolant or byproduct conduit within the stack. As will be shown next,
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With this cooperative placement between the seals 80 and stabilizers 90, a countering force is set up to reduce the tendency of the plates 70 to rotate. In one form, seal stabilizers 90 may not need to be placed along the entire length or periphery of the plate 70; as such, it may be possible to judiciously place the seal stabilizers 90 (whether in bead or strip form) in locations where plate 70 rotation is expected to be particularly large. In addition to the discussion above where the seal stabilizer 90 can be made of elastomers, plastics or the like, they may also be made from metals that are attached to or formed as part of the bipolar plates 70. In a similar manner (not shown), the seal stabilizers 90 may be attached to the sub-gaskets that themselves can be attached to or even formed as part of the bipolar plates 70. Moreover, the seal stabilizers 90 can take various forms such as beads and strips.
Changes in the coefficients of friction and thermal expansion of the seal 80 material may have an impact on overall seal 80 stability. For example, higher friction is better to maintain the seal 80 in its place. In one form, the material for seal 80 is Henkel 651, while that of the plate 70 material is 304 stainless steel. To determine the suitability of the seal 80 material, assumed coefficients were varied between 0.01, 0.05, 0.75, 0.1 and 0.2. Compression values were set at 20%, 30% (F91), 40% (MRC107), and 50%. Likewise, the tensile strength of the material used in the seals 80 should be high enough to further delay the onset of Euler beam buckling. Moreover, the shape of the seals 80 is important as well, with the inventor discovering that seals 80 that define a circular or semicircular cross-sectional profile tend to perform better than those with rectangular or trapezoidal profiles.
It is noted that terms like “preferably”, “generally” and “typically” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed invention or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the claimed invention. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present invention.
For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention, it is noted that the terms “substantially” and “approximately” and their variants are utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement or other representation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
Having described the invention in detail and by reference to specific embodiments, it will nonetheless be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. In particular it is contemplated that the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to stated preferred aspects and exemplified embodiments, but should be governed by the appended claims.