Fuel cell stack compressive loading system

Patent · 01 January 1982

OSTI ID:864311

Fahle, Ronald W ^[1]; Reiser, Carl A ^[2]

---

1. Manchester, CT
2. Glastonbury, CT

A fuel cell module comprising a stack of fuel cells with reactant gas manifolds sealed against the external surfaces of the stack includes a constraint system for providing a compressive load on the stack wherein the constraint system maintains the stack at a constant height (after thermal expansion) and allows the compressive load to decrease with time as a result of the creep characteristics of the stack. Relative motion between the manifold sealing edges and the stack surface is virtually eliminated by this constraint system; however it can only be used with a stack having considerable resiliency and appropriate thermal expansion and creep characteristics.

• Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Hartford, CT)
• Patent Number(s): US 4345009
• OSTI ID: 864311
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/429/
allows
appropriate
cell
cell module
cell stack
cells
characteristics
compressive
compressive load
comprising
considerable
constant
constant height
constraint
creep
decrease
edges
eliminated
expansion
external
external surface
external surfaces
fuel
fuel cell
fuel cells
gas
gas manifold
gas manifolds
height
load
loading
maintains
manifold
manifold seal
manifold sealing
manifolds
module
module comprising
motion
providing
reactant
reactant gas
relative
relative motion
resiliency
result
sealed
sealing
sealing edges
stack
stack surface
surface
surfaces
thermal
thermal expansion
time
virtually
virtually eliminate
virtually eliminated