Fuel cell connector and fuel cell stack
By designing a dense conductive layer and a foam metal connection layer, the risk of single-cell breakage caused by rigid contact of the metal connector and the limitations of material selection are solved, thereby reducing processing difficulty and cost while improving gas diffusion efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202521701469.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-08-11
AI Technical Summary
Existing metal connectors employ a fully dense, rigid structural design, which results in a high risk of single-cell breakage, limited material selection, and high processing difficulty and cost.
The design employs a dense conductive layer and a foam metal connecting layer. The use of foam metal reduces contact stress and provides flexibility, expands the range of material choices, and simplifies processing through stamping.
It reduces the risk of single-cell breakage, lowers processing difficulty and production costs, and improves gas diffusion efficiency and material selection flexibility.
Smart Images
Figure CN224683097U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of fuel cell technology, specifically to a fuel cell connector and a fuel cell stack. Background Technology
[0002] In solid oxide fuel cell stacks, metal connectors mainly serve to connect two adjacent single cells in series, separate the anode and cathode atmospheres of a single cell, and act as a supporting framework for the main structure of the stack.
[0003] However, current metal connectors generally employ a fully dense, rigid structure design, which faces numerous unresolved issues in practical applications. On one hand, the rigid contact between the metal connector and the individual cell easily generates significant contact stress, increasing the risk of cell breakage. Therefore, extremely high processing requirements are placed on the flow channel dimensional accuracy and flatness of the metal connector to minimize contact stress fluctuations, which increases processing difficulty and production costs. On the other hand, the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cell stacks typically reaches 750°C. To prevent the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between the metal connector and adjacent battery components from generating enormous thermal stress that could lead to stack failure, a metal with a thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of the battery components must be selected as the base material for the fully dense, rigid connector structure, resulting in significant limitations in material selection. Utility Model Content
[0004] This application provides a fuel cell connector and a fuel cell stack, which can solve the technical problems of current metal connectors using a fully dense rigid structure design, which results in a high risk of battery breakage due to rigid contact between the metal connector and the single cell; and the need to select a metal with a thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of the battery assembly as the base material of the connector, which leads to a large limitation in material selection.
[0005] This application provides a fuel cell connector having a first direction. The fuel cell connector includes a dense conductive layer and two connecting layers, which are respectively connected to both sides of the dense conductive layer in the first direction. At least one of the two connecting layers is made of foamed metal.
[0006] In some embodiments, the porosity of the foamed metal is greater than or equal to 80%.
[0007] In some embodiments, the foam metal has a plurality of pores, the diameter of which is less than or equal to 1 mm.
[0008] In some embodiments, the density of the dense conductive layer is greater than or equal to 98%.
[0009] In some embodiments, the two connecting layers are respectively welded to both sides of the dense conductive layer in the first direction.
[0010] In some embodiments, at least one of the two connecting layers includes: a connecting body and a connecting rib group, a dense conductive layer is connected to one side of the connecting body in a first direction, and the connecting rib group is connected to the other side of the connecting body in the first direction; the fuel cell connecting body has a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the connecting rib group includes a plurality of first connecting ribs spaced apart along the second direction.
[0011] In some embodiments, the shape of the orthographic projection of the first connecting rib onto the dense conductive layer includes at least one of a straight line, a polygonal line, and a circle.
[0012] In some embodiments, the fuel cell connector has a third direction intersecting both the first and second directions; the connecting rib group further includes a second connecting rib and a third connecting rib spaced apart along the third direction, both extending along the second direction; the first connecting rib includes a first sub-connecting rib and a second sub-connecting rib; the second connecting rib has first sub-connecting ribs at both ends in the second direction, each first sub-connecting rib extending toward the third connecting rib at an end in the third direction away from the second connecting rib and spaced apart from the third connecting rib; the third connecting rib has second sub-connecting ribs at both ends in the second direction, each second sub-connecting rib extending toward the second connecting rib at an end in the third direction away from the third connecting rib and spaced apart from the second connecting rib; in the second direction, at least one second sub-connecting rib is provided between two adjacent first sub-connecting ribs, and at least one first sub-connecting rib is provided between two adjacent second sub-connecting ribs.
[0013] In some embodiments, the connecting rib group further includes: a fourth connecting rib, which is disposed between adjacent first and second sub-connecting ribs; the fourth connecting rib is spaced apart from the first and second sub-connecting ribs at both ends in a second direction; and the fourth connecting rib is spaced apart from the second and third connecting ribs at both ends in a third direction.
[0014] This application also provides a fuel cell stack, including: a plurality of stacked single cells and a fuel cell connector of this application, wherein the fuel cell connector is disposed between two adjacent single cells.
[0015] At least one of the two connecting layers in this application is made of foamed metal, which can reduce the contact stress with the single cell while ensuring good contact performance with the single cell, thereby reducing the risk of single cell breakage. This reduces the processing requirements of the connecting layer, thereby reducing processing difficulty and production cost.
[0016] Because foamed metals have inherent pores and flexible properties, this application eliminates the need to consider the matching degree between the thermal expansion coefficient of the fuel cell connector and the thermal expansion coefficient of the single cell module. This expands the range of materials that can be selected for fuel cell connectors, allowing the application of some metals that have advantages in terms of conductivity, corrosion resistance, or cost. This, in turn, can optimize the performance of fuel cell connectors and reduce their manufacturing costs.
[0017] Because the foam metal itself has pores that can form flow channels, the flow channels on the foam metal can play a guiding role, which can improve the diffusion efficiency of gas in the fuel cell structure. Attached Figure Description
[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0019] To gain a more complete understanding of this application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals in the following description denote the same parts.
[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fuel cell connector provided in the embodiments of this application;
[0021] Figure 2 A plan view of a portion of the structure of the fuel cell connector provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;
[0022] Figure 3 A plan view of a portion of the structure of the fuel cell connector provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;
[0023] Figure 4 A plan view of a portion of the structure of the fuel cell connector provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 ;
[0024] Figure 5 A plan view of a portion of the structure of the fuel cell connector provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 4 ;
[0025] Figure 6 A side view of a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0028] 100. Fuel cell stack; 10. Fuel cell connector; 20. Single cell; M, first direction; N, second direction; P, third direction;
[0029] 11. Dense conductive layer; 12. Connecting layer; 1101. First side; 1102. Second side; 1201. Fuel-grade connecting layer; 1202. Air-grade connecting layer; 120. Connecting rib group; 121. Connecting body; 122. First connecting rib; 123. Second connecting rib; 124. Third connecting rib; 125. Fourth connecting rib; 1221. First sub-connecting rib; 1222. Second sub-connecting rib;
[0030] 21. Electrolyte layer; 22. Anode layer; 23. Cathode layer; 221. Fuel-grade catalyst layer; 222. Fuel-grade support layer; 231. Barrier layer; 232. Air-grade electrode layer. Detailed Implementation
[0031] The preferred embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings to fully introduce the technical content of this application to those skilled in the art, to demonstrate that this application can be implemented, and to make the disclosed technical content of this application clearer, so that those skilled in the art can more easily understand how to implement this application. However, this application can be embodied in many different forms of embodiments, and the protection scope of this application is not limited to the embodiments mentioned herein. The description of the embodiments below is not intended to limit the scope of this application.
[0032] The directional terms used in this application, such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "inside", "outside", and "side", are only for the directions shown in the accompanying drawings. The directional terms used herein are for the purpose of explaining and illustrating this application, and not for limiting the scope of protection of this application.
[0033] In the accompanying drawings, components with the same structure are indicated by the same numerical designation, and components with similar structures or functions are indicated by similar numerical designations. Furthermore, for ease of understanding and description, the dimensions and thicknesses of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrary, and this application does not limit the dimensions and thicknesses of each component.
[0034] Please see Figure 1 This application provides a fuel cell connector 10. The fuel cell connector 10 has a first direction M, a second direction N, and a third direction P that intersect each other. In this embodiment, the first direction M, the second direction N, and the third direction P are perpendicular to each other. The perpendicularity of the first direction M, the second direction N, and the third direction P can be understood as the included angle between each pair of the first direction M, the second direction N, and the third direction P being 80° to 90°, which is not limited here.
[0035] Please see Figure 1 The fuel cell connector 10 includes a dense conductive layer 11 and two connecting layers 12.
[0036] Please see Figure 1 The dense conductive layer 11 has a first side 1101 and a second side 1102 disposed opposite to each other. The density of the dense conductive layer 11 is greater than or equal to 98%. In this embodiment, the density of the dense conductive layer 11 is 99%. The thickness of the dense conductive layer 11 is 0.5 mm to 1 mm. In some examples, the thickness of the dense conductive layer 11 can be any one or any two values of 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, and 1 mm. The dense conductive layer 11 prevents the mixing of fuel gas and air flowing in the two connecting layers 12 from causing adverse reactions, thereby ensuring the orderly conduction of the electrochemical reaction.
[0037] Please see Figure 1 Two connecting layers 12 are respectively connected to both sides of the dense conductive layer 11 in the first direction M. Specifically, the two connecting layers 12 are respectively welded to both sides of the dense conductive layer 11 in the first direction M. In this embodiment, the two connecting layers 12 are respectively welded to the first side 1101 and the second side 1102 of the dense conductive layer 11. Specifically, the two connecting layers 12 are a fuel-grade connecting layer 1201 and an air-grade connecting layer 1202. The fuel-grade connecting layer 1201 is welded to the first side 1101 of the dense conductive layer 11 and is used to connect to the anode layer of the single cell; the air-grade connecting layer 1202 is welded to the second side 1102 of the dense conductive layer 11 and is used to connect to the cathode layer of the single cell.
[0038] The thickness of the fuel-stage bonding layer 1201 is 1mm-1.5mm. In some examples, the thickness of the fuel-stage bonding layer 1201 can be any one or any two of 1mm, 1.1mm, 1.2mm, 1.3mm, 1.4mm, and 1.5mm. The thickness of the air-stage bonding layer 1202 is 1mm-1.5mm. In some examples, the thickness of the air-stage bonding layer 1202 can be any one or any two of 1mm, 1.1mm, 1.2mm, 1.3mm, 1.4mm, and 1.5mm.
[0039] In this application, at least one of the two connecting layers 12 is made of foamed metal. The porosity of the foamed metal is greater than or equal to 80%. In this embodiment, the porosity of the foamed metal is 85%. The foamed metal contains multiple pores with a diameter less than or equal to 1 mm. In this embodiment, the diameter of the pores is 0.6 mm. The inclusion of foamed metal as the material of at least one of the two connecting layers 12 reduces contact stress with the single cell while ensuring good contact performance, thus lowering the risk of single cell breakage. This reduces the processing requirements of the connecting layer 12, thereby reducing processing difficulty and production costs. Because the foamed metal itself has pores and flexible properties, there is no need to consider the matching degree of the thermal expansion coefficient of the fuel cell connector 10 with that of the single cell assembly. This expands the range of materials that can be selected for the fuel cell connector 10, allowing the application of metals with advantages in conductivity, corrosion resistance, or cost. This optimizes the performance of the fuel cell connector 10 and reduces its manufacturing cost. Because the foam metal itself has pores that can form flow channels, the flow channels on the foam metal can play a guiding role, which can improve the diffusion efficiency of gas in the fuel cell structure.
[0040] In this embodiment, both the fuel-stage connecting layer 1201 and the air-stage connecting layer 1202 are made of foamed metal. Specifically, the fuel-stage connecting layer 1201 can be made of foamed nickel or foamed copper; the air-stage connecting layer 1202 can be made of foamed Cu-Mn alloy or foamed stainless steel. It is worth noting that if foamed stainless steel is used for the air-stage connecting layer 1202, an anti-oxidation layer needs to be applied to the outside of the air-stage connecting layer 1202 because foamed stainless steel is prone to oxidation. Since both connecting layers 12 are made of foamed metal, the contact stress between the fuel cell connector 10 and the individual cells on both sides can be reduced, lowering the risk of breakage of the individual cells on both sides of the fuel cell connector 10, further improving the flexibility of the fuel cell connector 10, and utilizing the pores of the foamed metal itself to simultaneously improve the diffusion efficiency of fuel gas and air, while the surface channels can act as guides.
[0041] Please see Figure 1 Both connecting layers 12 include a connecting body 121 and a connecting rib group 120. A dense conductive layer 11 is connected to one side of the connecting body 121 in the first direction M, and the connecting rib group 120 is connected to the other side of the connecting body 121 in the first direction M. In other words, the dense conductive layer 11 and the connecting rib group 120 are respectively connected to both ends of the connecting body 121 in the first direction M.
[0042] In this embodiment, the connecting layer 12, which has a connecting body 121 and a connecting rib group 120, is formed by stamping. Compared with the traditional chemical etching process for forming the connecting layer 12, the traditional chemical etching process has low production efficiency and produces a large amount of chemical waste, which leads to subsequent environmental protection problems and greatly restricts the mass production of metal connectors. The stamping process of this application is simple to process and solves the problems of difficult flow channel processing and high precision requirements of traditional metal connectors, making it easier to achieve mass production.
[0043] The connecting rib group 120 includes a plurality of first connecting ribs 122 spaced apart along the second direction N. The shape of the orthographic projection of the first connecting rib 122 onto the dense conductive layer 11 is at least one of a straight line, a broken line, and a circle.
[0044] Please see Figure 2 In this embodiment, the shape of the orthographic projection of the first connecting rib 122 on the dense conductive layer 11 is a straight line, that is, the first connecting rib 122 extends along the third direction P, thereby forming a straight flow channel, which plays a guiding role for the gas without affecting the gas diffusion, and avoids problems such as insufficient reaction and local heat concentration caused by poor gas diffusion.
[0045] Please see Figure 3 In other embodiments, the shape of the orthographic projection of the first connecting rib 122 onto the dense conductive layer 11 is a zigzag shape, which can form a zigzag flow channel, extend the flow path, increase the contact area between the gas and the single cell, and improve the reaction efficiency; it can also avoid insufficient reaction caused by poor gas diffusion, reduce local overheating, help to distribute heat evenly, and maintain the stable operating temperature of the fuel cell stack 100.
[0046] Please see Figure 4 In other embodiments, the first connecting rib 122 is circular in shape when projected onto the dense conductive layer 11. For example, the first connecting rib 122 can be cylindrical, frustum-shaped, or nipple-shaped, which can increase the contact area between the gas and the single cell and improve the reaction efficiency. It can also avoid insufficient reaction caused by poor gas diffusion, reduce local overheating, help to distribute heat evenly, and maintain the stable operating temperature of the fuel cell stack 100.
[0047] Please see Figure 5In other embodiments, the connecting rib group 120 further includes a second connecting rib 123 and a third connecting rib 124 spaced apart along a third direction P, both extending along a second direction N. The first connecting rib 122 includes a first sub-connecting rib 1221 and a second sub-connecting rib 1222. The second connecting rib 123 has first sub-connecting ribs 1221 at both ends in the second direction N, each first sub-connecting rib 1221 extending towards the third connecting rib 124 at an end in the third direction P away from the second connecting rib 123 and spaced apart from the third connecting rib 124. The third connecting rib 124 has second sub-connecting ribs 1222 at both ends in the second direction N, each second sub-connecting rib 1222 extending towards the second connecting rib 123 at an end in the third direction P away from the third connecting rib 124 and spaced apart from the second connecting rib 123. In the second direction N, at least one second sub-connecting rib 1222 is provided between two adjacent first sub-connecting ribs 1221, and at least one first sub-connecting rib 1221 is provided between two adjacent second sub-connecting ribs 1222. This forms a serpentine flow channel, extends the flow path, increases the contact area between the gas and the single cell, and improves the reaction efficiency; it also avoids incomplete reaction caused by poor gas diffusion, reduces local overheating, helps to distribute heat evenly, and maintains the stable operating temperature of the fuel cell stack 100.
[0048] Please see Figure 5 In other embodiments, the connecting rib group 120 further includes a fourth connecting rib 125, which is disposed between adjacent first sub-connecting ribs 1221 and second sub-connecting ribs 1222. The fourth connecting rib 125 is spaced apart from the first sub-connecting rib 1221 and second sub-connecting rib 1222 at both ends in the second direction N; and spaced apart from the second connecting rib 123 and third connecting rib 124 at both ends in the third direction P.
[0049] Please see Figure 6 This application also provides a fuel cell stack 100. The fuel cell stack 100 includes: a plurality of stacked single cells 20 and the fuel cell connector 10 of this application, wherein the fuel cell connector 10 is disposed between two adjacent single cells 20.
[0050] Please see Figure 7 The single cell 20 includes an electrolyte layer 21, an anode layer 22, and a cathode layer 23. The anode layer 22 is disposed on one side of the electrolyte layer 21, and the cathode layer 23 is disposed on the side of the electrolyte layer 21 away from the anode layer 22.
[0051] Please see Figure 7One connecting layer 12 of the fuel cell connector 10 is connected to the anode layer 22, and the other connecting layer 12 of the fuel cell connector 10 is connected to the cathode layer 23. Specifically, the fuel stage connecting layer 1201 is connected to the anode layer 22 of the single cell 20, and the air stage connecting layer 1202 is connected to the cathode layer 23 of the single cell 20.
[0052] The anode layer 22 includes a fuel-grade catalyst layer 221 and a fuel-grade support layer 222. The fuel-grade support layer 222 is located on the side of the fuel-grade catalyst layer 221 away from the electrolyte layer 21. The main function of the fuel-grade catalyst layer 221 is to promote the oxidation reaction of fuel at the anode, improve reaction efficiency, and enable the single cell 20 to operate at lower temperatures and generate more electrical energy. The fuel-grade support layer 222 provides physical support for the fuel-grade catalyst layer 221, ensuring the stability and durability of the fuel-grade catalyst layer 221.
[0053] The cathode layer 23 includes a barrier layer 231 and an air-stage electrode layer 232. The air-stage electrode layer 232 is located on the side of the barrier layer 231 away from the electrolyte layer 21. The main function of the barrier layer 231 is to prevent elements in the air-stage electrode layer 232 from segregating into the electrolyte layer 21 and forming a low-conductivity phase, thus avoiding affecting the output power of the stack. The air-stage electrode layer 232 is used to promote the oxygen reduction reaction, improve the efficiency of the oxygen reduction reaction, and thus improve the overall performance of the single cell 20.
[0054] The above provides a detailed description of a fuel cell connector and fuel cell stack provided in this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.
Claims
1. A fuel cell connector (10), characterized in that, Having a first direction (M), the fuel cell connector (10) includes: a dense conductive layer (11) and two connecting layers (12), the two connecting layers (12) being respectively connected to the dense conductive layer (11) on both sides of the first direction (M), and at least one of the two connecting layers (12) being made of foamed metal.
2. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The porosity of the foamed metal is greater than or equal to 80%.
3. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The foamed metal has multiple air pores, and the diameter of the air pores is less than or equal to 1 mm.
4. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The density of the dense conductive layer (11) is greater than or equal to 98%.
5. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two connecting layers (12) are respectively welded to the dense conductive layer (11) on both sides in the first direction (M).
6. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the two connecting layers (12) includes a connecting body (121) and a connecting rib group (120), the dense conductive layer (11) being connected to the connecting body (121) on one side in the first direction (M), and the connecting rib group (120) being connected to the connecting body (121) on the other side in the first direction (M). The fuel cell connector (10) has a second direction (N) intersecting the first direction (M), and the connecting rib group (120) includes a plurality of first connecting ribs (122) spaced apart along the second direction (N).
7. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The shape of the orthographic projection of the first connecting rib (122) onto the dense conductive layer (11) includes at least one of a straight line, a broken line, and a circle.
8. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The fuel cell connector (10) has a third direction (P) that intersects both the first direction (M) and the second direction (N); The connecting rib group (120) further includes a second connecting rib (123) and a third connecting rib (124) spaced apart along the third direction (P), wherein the second connecting rib (123) and the third connecting rib (124) both extend along the second direction (N); The first connecting rib (122) includes a first sub-connecting rib (1221) and a second sub-connecting rib (1222); The second connecting rib (123) is provided with the first sub-connecting rib (1221) at both ends of the second direction (N). Each first sub-connecting rib (1221) extends toward the third connecting rib (124) at one end away from the second connecting rib (123) in the third direction (P) and is spaced apart from the third connecting rib (124). The third connecting rib (124) has a second sub-connecting rib (1222) at both ends of the second direction (N). The second sub-connecting rib (1222) extends toward the second connecting rib (123) at one end of the third direction (P) away from the third connecting rib (124) and is spaced apart from the second connecting rib (123). In the second direction (N), at least one second sub-connecting rib (1222) is provided between two adjacent first sub-connecting ribs (1221), and at least one first sub-connecting rib (1221) is provided between two adjacent second sub-connecting ribs (1222).
9. The fuel cell connector (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The connecting rib group (120) further includes: a fourth connecting rib (125), which is disposed between the adjacent first sub-connecting rib (1221) and second sub-connecting rib (1222); The fourth connecting rib (125) is spaced apart from the first sub-connecting rib (1221) and the second sub-connecting rib (1222) at both ends of the second direction (N); The fourth connecting rib (125) is spaced apart from the second connecting rib (123) and the third connecting rib (124) at both ends of the third direction (P).
10. A fuel cell stack (100), characterized in that, include: Multiple stacked single cells (20) and a fuel cell connector (10) according to any one of claims 1-9, the fuel cell connector (10) being disposed between two adjacent single cells (20).