Fuel cell plates with improved arrangement of process channels for enhanced pressure drop across the plates

Patent · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:866089

Spurrier, Francis R ^[1]; Pierce, Bill L ^[1]; Wright, Maynard K ^[2]

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1. Whitehall Boro, PA
2. Bethel Park, PA

A plate for a fuel cell has an arrangement of ribs defining an improved configuration of process gas channels and slots on a surface of the plate which provide a modified serpentine gas flow pattern across the plate surface. The channels are generally linear and arranged parallel to one another while the spaced slots allow cross channel flow of process gas in a staggered fashion which creates a plurality of generally mini-serpentine flow paths extending transverse to the longitudinal gas flow along the channels. Adjacent pairs of the channels are interconnected to one another in flow communication. Also, a bipolar plate has the aforementioned process gas channel configuration on one surface and another configuration on the opposite surface. In the other configuration, there are not slots and the gas flow channels have a generally serpentine configuration.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4631239
• OSTI ID: 866089
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

fuel
cell
plates
improved
arrangement
process
channels
enhanced
pressure
drop
plate
ribs
defining
configuration
gas
slots
surface
provide
modified
serpentine
flow
pattern
linear
arranged
parallel
spaced
allow
channel
staggered
fashion
creates
plurality
mini-serpentine
paths
extending
transverse
longitudinal
adjacent
pairs
interconnected
communication
bipolar
aforementioned
opposite
gas channels
process channels
fuel cell
flow paths
flow channels
process gas
flow channel
pressure drop
gas flow
flow path
bipolar plate
flow communication
opposite surface
spaced slots
arranged parallel
gas channel
flow pattern
adjacent pair
plate surface
serpentine flow
cell plates
extending transverse
cell plate
site surface
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