Fuel Cell Separator Sealing via Flat Plate Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel cell stacks with integrated metal separators and sealing members face issues of deformation under fastening pressure, leading to reduced sealing reliability and increased contact resistance, causing leakage of reaction gases and coolants.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell stack design where adjacent metal separators are arranged with their flat plate sections in contact, but without a sealing member between them, and sealing members are strategically placed on protruding regions to prevent deformation and ensure reliable sealing, using wave-shaped separators with corrugated and flat plate sections to maintain structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealing member is arranged between flat plate sections of adjacent metal separators, then sealing reliability is improved, but the separators deform under fastening pressure causing increased contact resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is divided into a corrugated plate section and a flat plate section. The corrugated plate section absorbs compression deformation under fastening pressure, while the flat plate section maintains planarity for reliable sealing with adjacent separators, preventing both deformation-induced contact resistance and sealing failures
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the separator have different structural properties: the corrugated plate section is designed to be compressible to accommodate deformation, while the flat plate section is designed to remain planar for sealing purposes. This local differentiation allows the separator to simultaneously handle deformation and maintain sealing reliability
2Manufacturing precision
If metal separators are integrated with sealing members, then positioning accuracy is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flat plate sections of adjacent metal separators are designed to directly contact each other to form seals, eliminating the need for separate sealing members. This merging of sealing function into the separator structure itself maintains positioning accuracy while simplifying assembly by reducing the number of components
3Stability of the object's composition
If flat plate sections of adjacent metal separators are in contact without sealing members, then deformation is prevented, but sealing reliability may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The flat plate sections of adjacent separators are designed to directly contact each other, merging the separator and sealing functions into a single integrated structure. This eliminates deformation while maintaining sealing reliability through the direct contact interface between planar surfaces
Data Source
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AI summary
A fuel cell separator pair has first and second separators having front and back surfaces, a corrugated plate portion shaped in a wave form at the central portion, and a flat plate portion formed in the peripheral portion and surrounding the corrugated plate portion, wherein the corrugated plate portion of the front surface constitutes a reaction gas channel and the corrugated plate portion of the back surface constitutes a coolant channel. The back surfaces of the first and second separators are facing each other. The flat plate portions of the first and second separators are arranged on top of each other so as to be in contact with each other. The flat plate portion of the second separator protrudes toward the outside beyond the flat plate portion of the first separator. The fuel cell separator pair has a seal member (A) disposed on the flat plate portion of the front surface of the first separator, a seal member (B) disposed on the flat plate portion of the front surface of the second separator, and a seal member (C) disposed on the region protruding beyond the flat plate portion of the first separator in the flat plate portion of the back surface of the second separator.