Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks

Title: Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks

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Abstract

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 bipolarmore »« less

Inventors:

Kothmann, Richard E. ^[1]

(Churchill Boro, PA)

Issue Date:: 1983-01-01

OSTI Identifier:: 864551

Patent Number(s):: 4383009

Assignee:: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC) OSTI

DOE Contract Number:: DEN3-161

Resource Type:: Patent

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 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/

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                    Kothmann, Richard E. Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks.  United States: N. p., 1983. 
        Web.

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                    Kothmann, Richard E. Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks.  United States.

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                    Kothmann, Richard E. Sat .  
        "Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/864551.

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@article{osti_864551,

  title        = {Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks},

  author       = {Kothmann, Richard E.},

  abstractNote = {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.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {1983},

  month        = {1}

}

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