US 2019/0157704 A1Published application

Fuel cell secondary interconnect

AssigneeLG Fuel Cell Systems Inc.

InventorsZhien Liu, Ed Daum, Rich Goettler, Charles Osborne

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Abstract

A fuel cell system is provided. The fuel cell system may be a segmented-in-series, solid-oxide fuel cell system. The fuel cell system may comprise a first and second fuel cell tube and a secondary interconnect. Each of the fuel cell tubes may comprise a substrate having a first and second end and a pair of generally planar opposing major surfaces extending between the ends, a plurality of fuel cells disposed on one of said major surfaces, wherein the fuel cells are electrically coupled in series, a 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 proximate the first end of the substrate, the first sheet conductor being electrically coupled to said plurality of fuel cells, and a 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 proximate the second end of said substrate, the second sheet conductor being electrically coupled to said plurality of fuel cells. The secondary interconnect may provide an electrical path between the first and second fuel cell tubes. The first fuel cell tube may be positioned with a major surface thereof being spaced from and parallel to a major surface of the second fuel cell tube, the secondary interconnect being electrically coupled to said first sheet conductor of each of said first and second fuel cell tubes.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A segmented-in-series solid-oxide fuel cell system comprising:

a first fuel cell tube comprising:
a substrate having a first and a second end and a pair of generally planar opposing major surfaces extending between said ends;
a plurality of fuel cells disposed on one of said major surfaces, said fuel cells being electrically coupled in series;
a first sheet conductor providing an electrical path from a location on one of said major surfaces to a location on the other of said major surfaces proximate the first end of said substrate, said first sheet conductor being electrically coupled to said plurality of fuel cells;
a second sheet conductor providing an electrical path from a location on one of said major surfaces to a location on the other of said major surfaces proximate the second end of said substrate, said second sheet conductor being electrically coupled to said plurality of fuel cells;
a second fuel cell tube comprising:
a substrate having a first and a second end and a pair of generally planar opposing major surfaces extending between said ends;
a plurality of fuel cells disposed on one of said major surfaces, said fuel cells being electrically coupled in series;
a first sheet conductor providing an electrical path from a location on one of said major surfaces to a location on the other of said major surfaces proximate the first end of said substrate, said first sheet conductor being electrically coupled to said plurality of fuel cells;
and
a second sheet conductor providing an electrical path from a location on one of said major surfaces to a location on the other of said major surfaces proximate the second end of said substrate, said second sheet conductor being electrically coupled to said plurality of fuel cells;
and
a secondary interconnect providing an electrical path between said first and second fuel cell tubes,
said first fuel cell tube being positioned with a major surface thereof being spaced from and parallel to a major surface of said second fuel cell tube, said secondary interconnect being electrically coupled to said first sheet conductor of each of said first and second fuel cell tubes.

11 more elements

A fuel cell system comprising:

a plurality of fuel cell tubes, each of said tubes comprising:
a substrate, comprising:
a first end and a second end;
a first surface and a second surface, each of said first and second surfaces extending continuously between said first and second ends;
a first and second edge joining said first and second surfaces, said first and second edges running from said first to second ends;
a plurality of fuel cells disposed on said first and second surfaces, wherein said fuels cells disposed on said first surface are electrically coupled in series to each other by one or more primary interconnects, and said fuel cells disposed on said second surface are electrically coupled in series to each other by the one or more primary interconnects;
a first sheet conductor electrically coupling the fuel cells disposed on the first surface to the fuel cells disposed on the second surface proximate the first end;
a second sheet conductor electrically coupling the fuel cells disposed on the first surface to the fuel cells disposed on the second surface proximate the second end;
wherein said first and second sheet conductors are arranged such that the fuel cells disposed on the first surface are electrically coupled in parallel with the fuel cells disposed on the second surface;
a secondary interconnect electrically coupling a first tube of said plurality to a second tube of said plurality, wherein said secondary interconnect electrically contacts the first sheet conductor of said first tube proximate to the first end and first surface of said first tube and the first sheet conductor of said second tube proximate to the first end and second surface of said second tube.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.