Fuel Cell Current Collector Plate Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional charge collectors for fuel cell stacks suffer from reduced efficiency due to point contact electrical connections, leading to load concentration and damage, as well as uneven surfaces that hinder the uniform formation of protective coatings, affecting conductivity.
Innovation Solution
A current collector with a channel forming portion and a coating layer, featuring evenly surfaced metal thin plates with alternating openings and rounded corners, formed through etching or punching, to ensure surface-contact with fuel cell electrodes and disperse loads, enhancing electrical contact area and preventing poisoning material accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a mesh-shaped charge collector is used with point contact connections, then the structure is simple to manufacture, but charge collecting efficiency decreases and load concentration causes damage
Solution Approach 1:
The charge collector is divided into multiple finger-like protrusions instead of a continuous mesh structure. These segmented finger protrusions make contact with the interconnector at multiple discrete locations, increasing the effective contact area while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through stamping or casting processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The charge collector transitions from a two-dimensional mesh structure to a three-dimensional structure with finger-like protrusions extending toward the interconnector. This dimensional change increases the contact area without significantly increasing material usage or manufacturing complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If a mesh-shaped charge collector is used with point contact connections, then the structure is simple to manufacture, but load concentration causes cracks in single cells
Solution Approach 1:
The load is segmented across multiple finger protrusions that contact the interconnector at different locations. This distribution of contact points prevents excessive load concentration at any single point, reducing the risk of cracks in the brittle single cells while maintaining a simple manufactured structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The finger protrusions are strategically positioned to contact the interconnector at locations that optimize load distribution. The local geometry of each finger is designed to concentrate contact at optimal points on the interconnector surface, improving overall structural integrity.
3Ease of manufacture
If a conventional charge collector with uneven surface is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but coating formation is non-uniform causing conductivity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The charge collector surface is pre-formed with smooth, uniform finger protrusions before the coating process. This preliminary shaping ensures that when the conductive coating is applied, it deposits uniformly across all contact surfaces, guaranteeing consistent electrical conductivity without requiring complex post-processing or specialized coating techniques.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
Provided are a current collector for a fuel cell and a stack structure having the same. The fuel cell includes an electrolyte layer, and an air electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer on both surfaces of the electrolyte layer and generates electricity, and the current collector includes an even surface configured to electrically surface-contact with the air electrode layer or the fuel electrode layer; and a plurality of openings punched so that air or a fuel gas directly contacts with the air electrode layer or the fuel electrode layer.