US 6,720,101 B1 · Solid cage fuel cell stack

Abstract

A solid-cage ambient-pressure PEM fuel cell stack having internal manifolds for the fuel gas and configured for accepting oxidant gas and cooling fluid via external manifolds/plena is disclosed. The fuel cell stack is contained in a solid cage comprised of a bottom end plate, a top end plate and four L-shaped struts. Each strut is attached at each end to a corner of the end plates so as to form a rigid rectangular parallelepiped cage, within which the fuel cell stack is contained. A pressure plate is disposed between the fuel cell stack and the top end plate. The pressure plate may be displace downwards, typically by way of an array of jack screws, so as to compress the fuel cell stack between the pressure plate and the bottom end plate. The vertical corners of the fuel cell stack engage the inside corners of the struts to further support the fuel cell stack.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A solid cage for containing a stack of fuel cells, comprising

(A) a top end plate;
(B) a bottom end plate;
(C) at least two struts, each strut attached to the bottom end plate and the top end plate so as to fix the top and bottom end plates in a spaced-apart relationship, wherein the fuel cell stack can be disposed between the top and the bottom end plates, and between the struts;
(D) a pressure plate disposed between the fuel cell stack and the top end plate;
(E) jack screws and an array of horizontally-spaced threaded jack-screw holes through the top end plate, through which the jack screws are threaded for effecting a downward displacement of the pressure plate relative to the bottom end plate;
and
(F) vertically-compressible springs disposed between the jack screws and the pressure plate
wherein, a compressive force to the fuel cell stack may be applied by downwardly displacing the pressure plate relative to the bottom end plate so as to apply a compressive force to the fuel cell stack as between the pressure plate and the bottom end plate.

5 more elements

A solid cage fuel cell stack comprising:

(A) a rectangular-parallelepiped stack of fuel cells, having:
(i) a pair of internal manifolds for providing fuel to, and exhausting fuel from, the fuel cell stack;
(ii) at least one opening on a first side of the fuel cell stack for providing oxidant to the fuel cell stack;
(iii) at least one opening on a second side of the fuel cell stack for exhausting oxidant from the fuel cell stack;
(iv) at least one opening on a third side of the fuel cell stack for providing cooling fluid to the fuel cell stack;
and
(v) at least one opening on a fourth side of the fuel cell stack for exhausting cooling fluid from the fuel cell stack;
and
(B) a cage containing the fuel cell stack and having:
(i) a top end plate
(ii) a bottom end plate;
(iii) means for fixing the top and bottom end plates in a spaced-apart relationship, said fixing means having vertically-extending inside corners that mate with and engage vertical edge corners of the fuel cell stack, wherein the fuel cell stack is disposed between the top and the bottom end plates, and between the fixing means;
(iv) a pressure plate disposed between the fuel cell stack and the top end plate;
and
(v) means for effecting a downward displacement of the pressure plate relative to the bottom end plate;
wherein, a compressive force to the fuel cell stack may be applied by downwardly displacing the pressure plate relative to the bottom end plate so as to apply a compressive force to the fuel cell stack as between the pressure plate and the bottom end plate.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Solid cage fuel cell stack

Life of this patent

Solid cage fuel cell stack

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29