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AssigneeInstitute of Gas Technology
InventorsLeonard G. Marianowski, Frank C. Schora, Randy J. Petri, Mark G. Lawson
Estimating the term…
A fully internally manifolded fuel cell stack is provided by each separator plate, current collector, electrode, and electrolyte in the fuel cell stack having a plurality of aligned perforations forming gas manifolds extending for the length of the cell stack. Each perforation through the separator plate is surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure extending to contact the current collector and/or electrode on each face of the separator plate to form electrolyte/electrode wet seals under cell operating conditions. Conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure provide gas communication between one set of manifolds and the anode chambers on one face of the separator plates, conduits through the extended manifold wet seal structure on the opposite face of the separator plates provide gas communication between a second set of the manifolds and the cathode chambers on the other face of the separator plates, and conduits through the extended manifold structure of a reactant gas manifold provide communication to interspersed reforming chambers. Extended wet seal structures formed of thin plate metal provide limited flexibility and resiliency to assure good sealing. This structure provides fully internal manifolding of and separation of fuel and oxidant gases to each of the unit fuel cells in the fuel cell stack while providing reactant gas to reforming chambers interspersed along the cell axis to reform hydrocarbonaceous gas and supply enhanced hydrogen content to the fuel supply manifold.
In a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cell units, each said fuel cell unit comprising an anode and a cathode, an electrolyte in contact on one side with the electrolyte facing face of said anode and in contact on the opposite side with the electrolyte facing face of said cathode, and a separator plate separating said cell units between an anode and cathode forming an anode chamber between the anode facing face of said separator plate and said anode and forming a cathode chamber between the opposite cathode facing face of said separator plate and the separator facing face of the cathode of an adjacent said fuel cell unit, said anode chamber in gas communication with fuel gas supply and outlet and said cathode chamber in gas communication with oxidant gas supply and outlet the improvement comprising;
In a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cell units, each said fuel cell unit comprising an anode and a cathode, an electrolyte in contact on one side with the electrolyte facing face of said anode and in contact on the opposite side with the electrolyte facing face of said cathode, and a separator plate separating said cell units between an anode and cathode forming an anode chamber between the anode facing face of said separator plate and said anode and forming a cathode chamber between the opposite cathode facing face of said separator plate and the separator facing face of the cathode of an adjacent said fuel cell unit, said anode chamber in gas communication with fuel gas supply and outlet and said cathode chamber in gas communication with oxidant gas supply and outlet the improvement comprising:
A subassembly for a fuel cell unit comprising an anode, a separator plate, and a cathode, said fuel cell unit having said anode, said cathode, and said separator plate extending to the edge region of a fuel cell stack, said separator plate having a flattened peripheral wet seal structure less than about 1 inch width extending form each face completely around their periphery, said anode, said cathode, and said separator plate each having a plurality of aligned perforations, said perforations in said separator plates being surrounded by a flattened manifold wet seal structure less than about 1 inch width extending from each face of said separator plate completely around said perforations, conduits through said extended manifold wet seal structure providing fuel gas communication between one set of said manifolds and said anode chamber on one face of said separator plates and conduits through said extended manifold wet seal structure providing oxidant gas communication between a second set of said manifolds and said cathode chamber on the other face of said separator plates, thereby providing fully internal manifolding of fuel and oxidant gases to and from each said unit fuel cell in said fuel cell stack, said anode, said separator plate, and said cathode sealingly joined in each said seal areas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.