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US 7,063,909 B2Granted
Fuel-cell element stack with stress relief and methods
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDavid Champion, Jonald R. Gradwohl, Peter Mardilovich, Christopher Beatty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel-cell assembly has a plurality of unit cells, each of the unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector. The fuel-cell assembly has a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at least one electrical interconnection element being connected respectively to each anode, to each cathode, and to each current collector of the unit cells. The unit cells are arranged in a stack and are mechanically supported by electrical interconnection elements such that each of the unit cells of the stack has at least one edge free to move relative to the electrical interconnection elements.
Claims35
A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- and
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at least one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements.
A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- and
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at least one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements, and wherein each of said plurality of electrical interconnection elements comprises a conductive pin, each unit cell having at least one opening for said conductive pin and said conductive pin being disposed in said opening.
The A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- and
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at least one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements, and
- wherein said unit cells are staggered such that adjacent unit cells extend alternately in opposite directions from said electrical interconnection elements by which said unit cells are mechanically supported.
1 more element
A fuel-cell assembly comprising in combination:
- a) a plurality of unit-cell means for generating electric current, each of said unit-cell means comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, said unit-cell means being arranged in a stack;
- b) a plurality of means for electrically interconnecting said unit-cell means, at least one electrical interconnecting means being connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit-cell means, said unit-cell means being mechanically supported by said means for electrically interconnecting such that each of said unit-cell means has at least one edge free to move relative to said means for electrically interconnecting.
A method for fabricating a fuel-cell assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a multiplicity of fuel-cell unit cells, each fuel-cell unit cell comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector;
- b) providing electrical interconnection elements adapted to connect electrically to said anode, cathode, and current collector of each of the unit cells;
- c) assembling a stack by stacking the multiplicity of unit cells with at least one of said electrical interconnection elements disposed between each pair of adjacent unit cells of the stack, while leaving at least one edge of each of said unit cells free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements;
- and
- d) affixing each unit cell in the stack by connecting said electrical interconnection elements to each unit cell.
2 more elements
A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- and
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, each comprising a ball bond, at least one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements.
A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- and
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at least one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements, and wherein each of said plurality of electrical interconnection elements comprises a conductive pin, each unit cell has at least one opening for said conductive pin, and said conductive pin is disposed in said opening.
A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at least one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements;
- and
- c) a number of trays and a fixture adapted to receive the trays, each of said trays being adapted to receive at least a portion of a unit cell including said at least one edge that is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements, and each of said trays having an opening for each of said electrical interconnection elements of the unit cell.
1 more element
A method for fabricating a fuel-cell assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a multiplicity of fuel-cell unit cells, each fuel-cell unit cell comprising an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector;
- b) providing electrical interconnection elements adapted to connect electrically to said anode, cathode, and current collector of each of the unit cells;
- c) assembling a stack by stacking the multiplicity of unit cells with at least one of said electrical interconnection elements disposed between each pair of adjacent unit cells of the stack, while leaving at least one edge of each of said unit cells free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements;
- d) disposing said stack in a fixture having at least one tray for each unit cell;
- e) disposing at least a portion of each unit cell movably in a tray of said fixture;
- and
- f) affixing each unit cell in the stack by connecting said electrical interconnection elements to each unit cell.
4 more elements
A fuel-cell assembly comprising:
- a) a plurality of unit cells, each of said unit cells comprising a substrate, an anode, an electrolyte, a cathode, and a current collector, and each of said unit cells having at least one edge and at least one elongated stress-relief opening extending through a substrate surface of each unit cell, said unit cells being arranged in a stack;
- and
- b) a plurality of electrical interconnection elements, at feast one electrical interconnection element being electrically connected respectively to each anode and to each cathode of said unit cells, each of said unit cells being mechanically supported by at least one of said electrical interconnection elements such that said at least one edge of each of said unit cells is free to move relative to said electrical interconnection elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.