Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks

Patent · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:864551

Kothmann, Richard E ^[1]

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1. Churchill Boro, PA

A fuel cell and system for supply electrolyte, as well as fuel and an oxidant to a fuel cell stack having at least two fuel cells, each of the cells having a pair of spaced electrodes and a matrix sandwiched therebetween, fuel and oxidant paths associated with a bipolar plate separating each pair of adjacent fuel cells and an electrolyte fill path for adding electrolyte to the cells and wetting said matrices. Electrolyte is flowed through the fuel cell stack in a back and forth fashion in a path in each cell substantially parallel to one face of opposite faces of the bipolar plate exposed to one of the electrodes and the matrices to produce an overall head uniformly between cells due to frictional pressure drop in the path for each cell free of a large hydrostatic head to thereby avoid flooding of the electrodes. The bipolar plate is provided with channels forming paths for the flow of the fuel and oxidant on opposite faces thereof, and the fuel and the oxidant are flowed along a first side of the bipolar plate and a second side of the bipolar plate through channels formed into the opposite faces of the bipolar plate, the fuel flowing through channels formed into one of the opposite faces and the oxidant flowing through channels formed into the other of the opposite faces.

• DOE Contract Number: DEN3-161
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4383009
• OSTI ID: 864551
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

hydrostatic
head
electrolyte
addition
fuel
cell
stacks
supply
oxidant
stack
cells
pair
spaced
electrodes
matrix
sandwiched
therebetween
paths
associated
bipolar
plate
separating
adjacent
fill
path
adding
wetting
matrices
flowed
forth
fashion
substantially
parallel
opposite
exposed
produce
overall
uniformly
due
frictional
pressure
drop
free
avoid
flooding
provided
channels
forming
flow
formed
flowing
sandwiched therebetween
cell stacks
spaced electrodes
fuel cell
channels formed
adjacent fuel
pressure drop
cell stack
fuel cells
bipolar plate
substantially parallel
fuel flow
supply electrolyte
oxidant flow
electrolyte fill
hydrostatic head
plate separating
plate exposed
matrix sandwiched
/429/