Bipolar plate for fuel cell
AssigneeSamsung SDI Co., Ltd.
InventorsJie Peng, Seung-jae Lee, Tae-won Song, Jae-young Shin
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Abstract
A bipolar plate includes a plurality of flow channels for fuel flow, wherein the flow channels are divided into a plurality of sections along a direction of the fuel flow. The total cross-sectional area of the flow channels across the sections becomes smaller from a fuel inlet toward a fuel outlet. A plurality of protrusions are formed between the sections, and the protrusions mix a fuel that passes through the flow channels. A fuel cell includes membrane electrode assemblies interposed between a plurality of the bipolar plates.
Claims17
A bipolar plate of a fuel cell, the bipolar plate having a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet and a plurality of flow channels for a fluid flow between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet,
- wherein the flow channels are divided into multiple sections along a direction of the fluid flow,
- wherein a total cross-sectional area of the flow channels across the sections becomes smaller from the fluid inlet toward the fluid outlet and
- wherein a plurality of protrusions are formed between the sections, and the protrusions mix a fluid that passes through the flow channels.
A fuel cell in which membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) each having an anode and a cathode respectively provided on each surface of an electrolyte membrane are interposed between a plurality of bipolar plates, wherein
- each of the bipolar plates comprises a first surface having a hydrogen fuel inlet, a hydrogen fuel outlet and a plurality of flow channels that supply a hydrogen fuel to the anode of one of the MEAs and a second surface having an oxidant inlet, an oxidant outlet and a plurality of flow channels that supply an oxidant to the cathode of an adjacent one of the MEAs,
- wherein the flow channels that supply the hydrogen fuel or oxidant to at least one of the anode and the cathode are divided into a plurality of sections along a direction of hydrogen fuel or oxidant flow, wherein the total cross-sectional area of the flow channels across the sections becomes smaller from a hydrogen fuel or oxidant inlet toward a hydrogen fuel or oxidant outlet, and
- wherein a plurality of protrusions are formed between the sections, and the protrusions mix the hydrogen fuel or the oxidant that passes through the flow channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.