Fuel Cell Stack End Closure Plate for Cooling Circuit Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell stacks face challenges in sealing the half cooling circuit at the ends, requiring a simple and gas-tight method while allowing effective reactive gas flow and cooling fluid circulation, especially with internal manifolds complicating the interface sealing.
Innovation Solution
A proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack design with relief elements and hollows on plates forming reactant and cooling circuits, using a closure plate without through holes for fluid passage, and a distribution plate for fluid distribution, simplifying sealing and reducing parts, and eliminating the need for flexible seals or O-rings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a closure plate with through holes is used to allow fluid passage, then fluid circulation is enabled, but sealing becomes difficult to achieve at the stack ends
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing function from traditional flexible seals and O-rings by using a closure plate without through holes. The closure plate integrates both fluid distribution and sealing functions, eliminating the need for separate sealing components at the stack ends.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure plate merges multiple functions: it acts as a sealing element, a fluid distribution manifold, and a structural closure component. By combining these functions into a single component, the invention simplifies the assembly and improves sealing reliability without compromising fluid circulation.
2Reliability
If multiple sealing components (flexible seals, O-rings) are used to ensure gas-tight sealing, then sealing reliability improves, but device complexity and number of parts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges sealing, fluid distribution, and structural functions into a single closure plate component. This eliminates the need for multiple separate sealing components such as flexible seals and O-rings, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure plate is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides sealing, fluid distribution through integrated manifolds, and structural support. This universal design reduces the total number of parts needed in the fuel cell stack assembly.
3Temperature
If internal manifolds are used for cooling fluid circulation, then cooling efficiency improves, but interface sealing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the manifold function with the closure plate by integrating cooling fluid inlet and outlet manifolds directly into the closure plate structure. This integration ensures that the sealing interface remains simple and gas-tight while maintaining efficient internal cooling fluid circulation pathways.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly comprising a stack of a plurality of fuel cell cells, the plurality comprising a first cell at a first end of the stack and a last cell at a second end of the stack, each cell comprising an anode plate and a cathode plate, each plate comprising a reactive face and a cooling face, one of the plates of the last cell forming, with one of the plates of another of the cells, a last inter-cell cooling circuit, the other of the plates of the last cell forming a last end plate, the assembly comprising a closure plate comprising an electric current collection face and a closure face fixed to the cooling face of the last end plate.