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US 2018/0019481 A1Published application
Fuel cell having a projecting bipolar plate
AssigneesVolkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Audi AG
InventorBrian DICKSON
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a fuel cell (1), a fuel cell stack (10) having at least two fuel cells (1), a fuel cell device having a fuel cell stack and a motor vehicle having a fuel cell device. In order to prevent a production-related mispositioning of a membrane electrode assembly (13) of the fuel cell (1) from causing obstructions in the operating media flow, it is provided according to the invention that at least one of the bipolar plates (2, 3) projects farther into an operating media line (4) than the other of the bipolar plates (2, 3).
Claims19
A fuel cell comprising:
- two bipolar plates arranged consecutively in a stack direction;
- at least one operating media line that extends through the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- a membrane electrode assembly arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- and
- an insulating element that, in operation electrically insulates the two bipolar plates from one another, the insulating element being arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction and, transversely to the stack direction, between the operating media line and the membrane electrode assembly a section of a first bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates projects transversely to the stack direction, farther into the operating media line than a section of a second bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates.
2 more elements
A fuel cell stack for a fuel cell device, the fuel cell stack comprising:
- at least two fuel cells arranged consecutively in a stack direction, at least one of the at least two fuel cells including:
- two bipolar plates arranged in a stack direction;
- at least one operating media line that extends through the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- a membrane electrode assembly arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- and
- an insulating element that, in operation electrically insulates the two bipolar plates from one another, the insulating element being arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction and, transversely to the stack direction, between the operating media line and the membrane electrode assembly, a section of a first bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates projects transversely to the stack direction, farther into the operating media line than a section of a second bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates;
- and
- an intermediate space between the at least two fuel cells that opens into the operating media line.
5 more elements
A fuel cell device comprising fuel cell stack including:
- at least two fuel cells arranged consecutively in a stack direction, at least one of the at least two fuel cells including:
- two bipolar plates arranged in a stack direction;
- at least one operating media line that extends through the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- a membrane electrode assembly arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- and
- an insulating element that, in operation electrically insulates the two bipolar plates from one another, the insulating element being arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction and, transversely to the stack direction, between the operating media line and the membrane electrode assembly, a section of a first bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates projects transversely to the stack direction, farther into the operating media line than a section of a second bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates;
- and
- an intermediate space between the at least two fuel cells that opens into the operating media line.
5 more elements
A motor vehicle comprising fuel cell device that provides driving power for the motor vehicle, the fuel cell device including a fuel cell stack including:
- at least two fuel cells arranged consecutively in a stack direction, at least one of the at least two fuel cells including:
- two bipolar plates arranged in a stack direction;
- at least one operating media line that extends through the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- a membrane electrode assembly arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction;
- and
- an insulating element that, in operation electrically insulates the two bipolar plates from one another, the insulating element being arranged between the two bipolar plates in the stack direction and, transversely to the stack direction, between the operating media line and the membrane electrode assembly wherein a section of a first bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates projects transversely to the stack direction, farther into the operating media line than a section of a second bipolar plate of the two bipolar plates;
- and
- an intermediate space between the at least two fuel cells that opens into the operating media line.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.