Fuel cell secondary interconnect

Abstract

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a fuel cell system is provided. The fuel cell system may comprise a plurality of stacked fuel cell tubes and a secondary interconnect. Each tube may comprise a substrate, a plurality of fuel cells, a first sheet conductor, and a second sheet conductor. The substrate may have a pair of opposing major surfaces and define a plurality of parallel channels between the major surfaces extending from a first end to a second end of said tube. The plurality of fuel cells may be disposed on one of said major surfaces, the fuel cells being electrically coupled in series to one another. The first sheet conductor may be located proximate the first end of the tube, the first sheet conductor providing an electrical path from a location on one of the major surfaces to a location on the other of the major surfaces. The second sheet conductor may be located proximate the second end of the tube, the second sheet conductor providing an electrical path from a location on one of the major surfaces to a location on the other of the major surfaces. The secondary interconnect may electrically couple the first sheet conductors on adjacent fuel cell tubes thereby electrically coupling the fuel cells disposed on one fuel cell tube to the fuel cells disposed on an adjacent fuel cell tube.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.