Methods of manufacturing porous metal alloy fuel cell components
OwnerDiane S. Erickson, Estela T. Onginventors
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Abstract
Porous metal components for high temperature fuel cells which are made by integrating the heretofore employed, separate tape casting and pack cementation processes. Particles of a base metal and a master alloy are suspended in a liquid medium in which a binding agent and a halide activator are dispersed. The suspension is cast into the shape wanted in the component, typically by tape casting; and the cast structure is heated to remove the liquid medium, leaving a flexible, green cast structure commonly referred to as a tape. The green tape is so heated as to: (a) burn out the binder in the tape; (b) form an alloy of the base metal and an alloying metal in the master alloy; and (c) sinter the alloy particles into a porous, coherent metal structure.
Claims10
A method of manufacturing a porous metal alloy component for a high temperature fuel cell, said method comprising the steps of:
- suspending particles of a base metal and a master alloy in a liquid medium which has dispersed therein a binding agent and a halide activator;
- casting the suspension thus formed;
- removing the liquid medium from the cast suspension to form a porous green structure in which the particles of base metal and master alloy and the halide activator are uniformly distributed;
- and
- so heat treating the green structure as to:
- (a) burn out the binder phase of the structure, (b) form an alloy of the master alloy and the base metal, and (c) sinter together into a coherent, porous, metallic structure the particles of the alloy formed by heat treating the green component structure, the green structure being heat treated in an environment effective to prevent oxidation of the alloy or its constituents and by heating said structure at atmospheric pressure to a temperature in the range of 800.degree. C. to 1200.degree. C. over a period of 3 to 15 hours, holding the structure at the temperature to which it is heated for a period of 30 to 120 minutes, and then cooling the structure to ambient temperature over a period of 2 to 8 hours.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.