Fuel Cell Stack Bubble Removal Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel cell stacks experience degraded cooling performance due to air bubbles mixed into the refrigerant, which impede the efficient heat release process.
Innovation Solution
The fuel cell stack design includes refrigerant channels inside and outside the power generation portion that communicate with each other, allowing air bubbles to rise and be discharged, with the refrigerant channels outside the power generation portion being larger in cross-section to facilitate faster flow and bubble removal, thereby preventing bubble diffusion into the power generation area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If refrigerant channels are provided only inside the power generation portion, then cooling efficiency is maximized, but air bubbles accumulate and degrade cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant channel system is segmented into two distinct parts: refrigerant channels inside the power generation portion (for efficient cooling) and refrigerant channels outside the power generation portion (for bubble removal). This segmentation allows each part to perform its specialized function, resolving the contradiction between cooling efficiency and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful air bubbles are extracted from the refrigerant flow by providing dedicated refrigerant channels outside the power generation portion. These external channels serve as separate pathways that isolate bubble accumulation from the critical cooling zones inside the power generation portion, maintaining cooling performance stability.
2Speed
If refrigerant channels outside the power generation portion are made larger in cross-section, then air bubbles are discharged faster, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant channels outside the power generation portion are designed with locally different properties (larger cross-sectional area) compared to channels inside the power generation portion. This local quality change optimizes bubble discharge speed in the external channels without affecting the internal channel structure or increasing overall device complexity.
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
This configuration effectively suppresses the degradation of cooling performance and heat-releasing efficiency by removing air bubbles, preventing temperature increases and maintaining the integrity of the electrode catalyst layers.
Implementation Method 1
if air bubbles are mixed into a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant channels inside the power generation portion, the mixed air bubbles can move up to the refrigerant channel outside the power generation portion that is positioned above the refrigerant channels inside the power generation portion in the gravity direction
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel cell stack that can suppress degraded cooling performance due to the presence of air bubbles. The fuel cell stack includes a plurality of stacked fuel cells, each fuel cell having a power generation portion and a pair of separators. The fuel cell stack further includes a plurality of refrigerant channels inside the power generation portion that are provided in a region corresponding to the power generation portion and that allow communication between the refrigerant inlet manifold and refrigerant outlet manifold, and a refrigerant channel outside the power generation portion that is provided in a region above the power generation portion in the gravity direction and that allows communication between the refrigerant inlet manifold and refrigerant outlet manifold. The refrigerant channels inside and outside the power generation portion communicate with each other.