Bipolar Plate Tunnel Positioning for Uniform Contact Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bipolar plates in fuel cell stacks face challenges in maintaining consistent bead contact pressure due to varying features and locations of sealing beads and tunnels, leading to fluid leakage and inefficient reactant flow.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a plurality of crest and trough portions with tangent portions on bipolar plates, featuring through holes within these tangent portions to reduce contact pressure distribution and enhance sealing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If through holes are positioned at crest or trough portions of sealing beads, then manufacturing is simplified, but contact pressure distribution becomes non-uniform leading to fluid leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning through holes specifically at tangent portions of the sealing bead cross-section, rather than uniformly at crest or trough portions. This localized positioning strategy creates different functional zones: tangent portions allow through hole placement that maintains uniform contact pressure, while crest and trough portions maintain their sealing functions. This resolves the contradiction by achieving both manufacturability (through holes can be positioned) and reliability (uniform pressure distribution prevents leakage).
2Reliability
If through holes are positioned at tangent portions of sealing beads, then contact pressure distribution becomes uniform preventing fluid leakage, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining the tangent portions of the sealing bead cross-section before positioning the through holes. The method involves: (1) defining the bead cross-section geometry, (2) identifying tangent portions mathematically or geometrically, (3) then positioning through holes at these predetermined locations. This preliminary characterization of the bead geometry simplifies the subsequent hole positioning process, resolving the manufacturing complexity concern while maintaining the reliability benefits of uniform pressure distribution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If non-uniform contact pressure distribution exists on bipolar plates, then sealing beads can accommodate manufacturing variations, but fluid leakage occurs and reactant flow efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the spatial parameter of through hole positioning from crest/trough locations to tangent portion locations. This parameter change fundamentally alters the contact pressure distribution pattern from non-uniform to uniform. The uniform pressure distribution eliminates the harmful effect of fluid leakage while maintaining adaptability to manufacturing variations, as the tangent portion positioning provides a consistent reference that accommodates normal manufacturing tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
A number of variations may include at least one bipolar plate which may include at least one bead, the bead may include a plurality of crest portions and a plurality of trough portions having at least one tangent portion disposed between adjacent crest portions and trough portions; the bipolar plate further may include at least one tunnel defining at least one through hole within the at least one tangent portion.