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US 11,901,591 B2Granted
Fuel cell flow field design for thermal management
AssigneeLoop Energy Inc.
InventorsMatthew Paul Paone, Sean Michael Mackinnon, Raoul Jacob Kingma, Sheilah Melissa Galati, Greg John Montie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel cell assemblies comprising at least one thermally compensated coolant channel are provided. The thermally compensated coolant channel has a cross-sectional area that decreases in the coolant flow direction along at least a portion of the channel length. In some embodiments, such thermally compensated coolant channels can be used to provide substantially uniform heat flux, and substantially isothermal conditions, in fuel cells operating with substantially uniform current density.
Claims20
A fuel cell plate assembly comprising:
- (a) a first reactant flow field plate comprising:
- (i) a first major surface;
- (ii) a second major surface;
- (iii) a plurality of first reactant channels on said first major surface for directing a first reactant across said first reactant flow field plate in a first reactant flow direction;
- wherein said first major surface and said second major surface are oppositely facing major surfaces,
- (b) a second reactant flow field plate comprising
- (i) a third major surface;
- (ii) a fourth major surface;
- (iii) a plurality of second reactant channels on said third major surface for directing a second reactant across said second reactant flow field plate in a second reactant flow direction;
- wherein said third major surface and said fourth major surface are oppositely facing major surfaces,
- wherein:
- said first reactant flow field plate further comprises a first plurality of secondary channels on said second major surface and/or said second reactant flow field plate further comprises a second plurality of secondary channels on said fourth major surface,
- said second reactant flow field plate and said first reactant flow field plate are stacked so that said second major surface cooperates with said fourth major surface to define a plurality of coolant channels between said first reactant flow field plate and said second reactant flow field plate for directing a coolant in a coolant flow direction,
- said plurality of first reactant channels decrease in cross-sectional area along at least a portion of their length in said first reactant flow direction, and
- said plurality of coolant channels decrease in cross-sectional area along at least a portion of their length in said coolant flow direction_.
12 more elements
A fuel cell plate assembly comprising:
- (a) a first reactant flow field plate comprising:
- (i) a first major surface;
- (ii) a second major surface;
- and
- (iii) a plurality of first reactant channels on said first major surface for directing a first reactant across said first reactant flow field plate in a first reactant flow direction;
- wherein said first major surface and said second major surface are oppositely facing major surfaces,
- (b) a second reactant flow field plate comprising
- (i) a third major surface;
- (ii) a fourth major surface;
- and
- (iii) a plurality of second reactant channels on said third major surface for directing a second reactant across said second reactant flow field plate in a second reactant flow direction;
- wherein said third major surface and said fourth major surface are oppositely facing major surfaces,
- wherein said first reactant flow field plate further comprises a first plurality of secondary channels on said second major surface and/or said second reactant flow field plate further comprises a second plurality of secondary channels on said fourth major surface,
- wherein said second reactant flow field plate and said first reactant flow field plate are stacked so that said second major surface cooperates with said fourth major surface to define a plurality of coolant channels between said first reactant flow field plate and said second reactant flow field plate for directing a coolant in a coolant flow direction,
- wherein said plurality of first reactant channels decrease in monotonically cross-sectional area and width along at least a portion of their length in said first reactant flow direction,
- wherein said plurality of coolant channels decrease monotonically in cross-sectional area and width along their length in said coolant flow direction, and
- wherein said first reactant flow direction and said coolant flow direction are substantially aligned.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.