Water removal from gas flow channels of fuel cells
AssigneeMichigan Technological University
InventorJeffrey S. Allen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for water management in a fuel cell. The apparatus includes a fuel cell having a first porous electrode layer, a second porous electrode layer, a proton-conducting membrane positioned between the first electrode and second electrode layers, and a first and second bi-polar distribution plate, wherein the first bi-polar distribution plate is positioned on a top of the first electrode layer and defining a first gas flow channel, and wherein the second bi-polar distribution plate is positioned on a bottom of the second electrode layer and defining a second gas flow channel. The apparatus further includes a mechanism for oscillating liquid water formed in the gas flow channel and configured to remove the liquid water.
Claims5
A method for removing a liquid water droplet from a gas flow channel in a fuel cell having a first porous electrode layer;
- a second porous electrode layer;
- a proton-conducting membrane positioned between the first electrode and second electrode layers;
- and a first and second bi-polar distribution plate, wherein the first bi-polar distribution plate is positioned on a top of the first electrode layer and defining a first gas flow channel, and wherein the second bi-polar distribution plate is positioned on a bottom of the second electrode layer and defining a second gas flow channel;
- and a mechanism for oscillating a liquid water droplet that is pinned with a pinning force within one of the first and second gas flow channels, the liquid water droplet having inertia and a liquid-gas surface, the method comprising the steps of:
- oscillating, with the mechanism for oscillating, the liquid-gas surface of the liquid water droplet at the natural frequency of the liquid water droplet;
- and
- in response to oscillations acting on the inertia of the liquid water droplet, creating inertial forces within the liquid water droplet sufficient to overcome the pinning force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.