Formed In Place Gasket Sealing for Fuel Cells
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seals in fuel cells, heat exchangers, and chemical reactors, primarily made of Teflon™ and EPDM, face issues with leaks, product loss, quality reduction, and mechanical failure due to assembly errors, material incompatibilities, and thermal overload, necessitating the development of more reliable and durable sealing solutions.
Innovation Solution
The method involves applying a reactive, liquid or pasty composition that hardens into a soft-elastic elastomer, specifically fluorinated hydrocarbon polymers, to create Formed In Place Gaskets (FIPGs) for complex components, which can withstand high thermal and chemical loads, ensuring long-lasting function and improved assembly safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If prefabricated flat gaskets or round cords (O-rings) are used as sealing elements, then assembly is simple, but reliability is insufficient due to leaks and mechanical failure under thermal and chemical loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sealing function with the joining function into a single integrated sealing element. The FIPG system merges the gasket and the mounting structure into one component that is applied directly to the component surface, eliminating the need for separate O-rings and mounting hardware, thereby improving reliability while reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a two-component reactive composition system as an intermediary that forms a crosslinked elastomer network. This chemical intermediary creates strong adhesion bonds between the sealing element and the component surface, providing reliable sealing under thermal and chemical loads without requiring complex mechanical retention structures
2Duration of action of stationary object
If Teflon™ seals are used, then chemical inertness is provided, but service life is insufficient under high-temperature phosphoric acid conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite elastomer composition consisting of fluorinated hydrocarbon polymer base resin combined with specific fillers, crosslinking agents, and processing aids. This composite material structure provides enhanced chemical resistance to phosphoric acid and its derivatives, while the crosslinked network structure maintains mechanical integrity at high temperatures, extending service life beyond 4,000 operating hours
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical and physical parameters of the sealing material by using fluorinated hydrocarbon polymers with specific molecular weight ranges (10,000 to 1,000,000) and incorporating crosslinking agents that form three-dimensional networks. These parameter changes enable the material to withstand high-temperature phosphoric acid environments that degrade conventional Teflon™ seals
3Ease of operation
If FIPGs made from polyurethanes, silicones or polyolefins are used, then assembly safety is improved, but chemical resistance to phosphoric acid is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using fluorinated hydrocarbon polymers specifically at the sealing interface where chemical contact occurs. The composition includes fluorinated base resins that provide localized chemical resistance to phosphoric acid, while other components of the FIPG system provide assembly safety and mechanical properties, creating a multi-functional sealing solution
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The FIPGs provide enhanced functional reliability, longer service life, and better tolerance compensation, reducing the risk of leaks and mechanical failure, while being cost-effective and suitable for high-temperature and chemically aggressive environments.
Implementation Method 1
a reactive, liquid or pasty composition that can be cured into an elastomer by crosslinking
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
In a process for manufacturing a closed functional unit of a device, at least two components of the functional unit, to be joined by one or more sealing elements, are prepared. A reactive, liquid or pasty composition, which can be cured by crosslinking to form an elastomer, is applied to at least one of the components. The reactive, liquid or pasty composition is cured, producing an elastomer to obtain one or more sealing elements that are self-adhesively bonded to the component(s). The component(s) are then brought into contact with the component(s) to be joined. Alternatively, the reactive, liquid or pasty composition is completely or at least partially dried and/or partially cured to obtain one or more precursors for a sealing element that are self-adhesively bonded to the component(s).The component(s) is/are brought into contact with the component(s) to be joined. The precursor(s) for the sealing element(s) is/are cured on the component(s), yielding an elastomer to form one or more sealing elements that are self-adhesively bonded to the component(s). Finally, the closed functional unit is obtained.