Fuel Cell Gas Sealing via Deformed Diffusion Layer Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel cells face degradation in gas sealing performance when reduced in thickness, and their gas sealing structures are often complex and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell design featuring a membrane electrode assembly, anode and cathode gas diffusion layers with protrusions, and a frame with high stiffness, where the gas diffusion layers are deformed to contact the frame upon clamping, ensuring effective sealing and simplified structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the fuel cell thickness is reduced, then the size and weight are decreased, but the gas sealing performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gas diffusion layer is pre-formed with protrusions that extend beyond the frame surface before assembly. These protrusions are then pressed by the separators during clamping to deform and fill gaps, creating an effective gas seal. This preliminary formation of sealing features resolves the contradiction by enabling reliable sealing in a thin-profile design without requiring complex additional sealing components.
2Reliability
If a complex sealing structure is used, then gas sealing performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas diffusion layer serves dual functions: its primary function of gas transport and its secondary function of gas sealing. The protrusions on the gas diffusion layer automatically deform under separator pressure to seal gaps between the frame and separators, eliminating the need for separate sealing components. This self-sealing mechanism resolves the contradiction by achieving reliable sealing through the functional properties of existing components rather than adding complex sealing structures.
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 maintains gas sealing performance and stiffness even with reduced thickness, reducing gas leakage and contact resistance while simplifying the sealing structure and reducing component complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the one of the separators presses the protrusion and gets the at least one of the gas diffusion layers to be deformed and put into contact with the frame
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel cell includes a pair of separators for clamping a laminate including a membrane electrode assembly, an anode gas diffusion layer, and a cathode gas diffusion layer, and a frame formed from thermosetting resin and disposed between the separators to surround a periphery of the laminate. At least one of the anode and the cathode gas diffusion layers is formed from a composite of thermoplastic resin and conductive particles, and includes a protrusion protruding beyond a level of a surface of the frame which faces one of the separators in a state that the laminate is not clamped between the separators under a predetermined pressure. The one of the separators presses the protrusion and gets the one of the gas diffusion layers to be deformed and put into contact with the frame in a state that the laminate is clamped between the separators under the predetermined pressure.