Fuel cell assembly and method of making same
AssigneeFuelCell Energy, Inc.
InventorsSalvador E. Correa, Thomas M. Lucas, Lawrence J. Novacco
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for fabricating a fuel cell component in which a deposition mechanism deposits loading material particles onto the fuel cell component and an actuation mechanism actuates the deposition mechanism. A unit provides a tape fixing agent to the fuel cell component and loaded material particles so as to retain the particles on the fuel cell component. Other fuel components are retained to the fuel cell component also using a tape fixing agent.
Claims83
A method of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the method comprising:
- providing a fuel cell component;
- providing a deposition assembly for depositing loading material particles onto the fuel cell component;
- actuating the deposition assembly to cause said deposition assembly to deposit said loading material particles onto said fuel cell component.
A method of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the method comprising:
- depositing loading material onto the fuel cell component;
- applying a tape fixing agent to the fuel cell component and the loading material to maintain positioning of the loading material relative to the fuel cell component.
An assembly for use with or as part of a fuel cell stack, the assembly comprising:
- a fuel cell component;
- a loading material deposited on said fuel cell component;
- and
- a tape fixing agent cooperative with the fuel cell component and loading material to maintain positioning of the loading material on said fuel cell component.
An assembly for use with or as part of a fuel cell stack, the assembly comprising:
- a plurality of fuel cell components;
- and
- a tape fixing agent cooperating with said plurality of fuel cell components for retaining said plurality of fuel cell components together.
A system of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the system comprising:
- a support supporting the fuel cell component;
- a deposition assembly for depositing loading material particles onto the fuel cell component;
- an actuating assembly for actuating the deposition assembly to cause said deposition assembly to deposit said loading material particles onto said fuel cell component.
A system for fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the system comprising:
- a support supporting the fuel cell component;
- a deposition assembly for depositing loading material onto the fuel cell component;
- a unit applying a tape fixing agent relative to the fuel cell component and to the loading material to maintain positioning of the loading material relative to the fuel cell component.
A unit for use in facilitating the retention of fuel cell components together, the components being held together by a tape fixing agent to form a fuel cell component assembly, the unit comprising:
- an assembly adapted to receive the fuel cell component assembly in a vacuum chamber;
- a first unit adapted to cause heated air to be supplied to the vacuum chamber;
- and
- a second unit adapted to draw said heated air from said vacuum chamber, whereby thermo-vacuum pressing of said fuel cell component assembly occurs within said vacuum chamber.
An assembly for depositing loading material particles in a pre-defined deposition pattern on a fuel cell component comprising:
- a base member;
- a vibratory block supported on the base member and adapted to support the fuel cell component;
- a mask gate assembly attached to the vibratory block above the fuel cell component, said mask gate assembly including:
- a gate plate having openings corresponding to the areas of said fuel cell component able to receive loading material particles;
- and a mask plate situated above said gate plate and having openings corresponding to said pre-defined deposition pattern, said gate and mask plate being arranged to be translatable relative to one another so that said mask and gate plates become mis-aligned so that the openings in said mask plate are misaligned with the openings in said gate plate and the loading material particles in the openings of said mask plate are inhibited from passing through the openings in said gate plate and so that said mask and gate plates become aligned so that the openings in said mask plate align with the openings in said gate plate and loading material particles pass from said openings in said mask plate to the aligned openings in said gate plate to deposit on said fuel cell component in said pre-defined deposition pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.