Flow field plates in fuel cells
AssigneeIntelligent Energy Limited
InventorChristopher Conlon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of producing a flow field plate for a fuel cell comprises over-profiling relief features in a die set to more accurately reproduce the intended flow channel features in the pressed plate. The process includes determining a target relief profile of features extending across the plate along at least a first dimension of the plate, modulating the relief profile with an over-profiling parameter, as a function of the first dimension; forming a die with the modulated relief profile; and pressing a flow field plate using the die with modulated relief profile to thereby produce the unmodulated, target relief profile in the flow field plate.
Claims10
A method of producing a flow field plate for a fuel cell, comprising:
- determining a relief profile of features extending across the plate along at least a first dimension of the plate;
- modulating the relief profile with an over-profiling parameter, as a function of the first dimension to form a modulated relief profile;
- forming a die with the modulated relief profile;
- pressing a flow field plate using the die with the modulated relief profile to thereby produce the relief profile in the flow field plate;
- wherein the relief profile defines a plurality of channels extending across the plate, the plurality of channels having a uniform height across the flow field plate, and
- wherein the modulated relief profile defines the plurality of channels with a non-uniform height, with channel depth increasing towards the center of the modulated relief profile.
A method of producing a flow field plate with convexity for a fuel cell, comprising:
- determining a relief profile of features extending across the plate along at least a first dimension of the plate;
- modulating the relief profile with an over-profiling parameter, as a function of the first dimension to form a modulated relief profile;
- introducing convexity into the die profile via a baseline offset Δbx and/or Δby to the relief profile;
- forming a convex die with the modulated relief profile;
- and,
- pressing a flow field plate using the die with the modulated relief profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.