Fuel Cell Gas Distributor Plate with Wire-Formed Flow Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel cell gas distribution plates lack flexibility in channel geometry and material variety, which affects gas flow and water management, limiting their efficiency and adaptability in fuel cell stacks.
Innovation Solution
A gas distribution plate design featuring wire elements with varying widths and orientations, coated or sheathed for corrosion protection, and a nano/microstructured surface to control wetting properties, allowing for customizable channel geometries and improved flow management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional plate structures with channel-like structures are used for gas distribution, then gas distribution function is provided, but flexibility in channel geometry and material variety is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses wire elements (flexible components) instead of rigid channel-like structures to create gas distribution paths. These wire elements can be bent and arranged in various configurations to achieve desired channel geometries, providing flexibility in design while maintaining structural integrity through the separating plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables variation in channel geometry by changing the arrangement, bending, and positioning of wire elements. This allows adjustment of channel width, orientation, and path without requiring completely different structural designs, thereby achieving adaptability in channel geometry.
2Ease of operation
If wire elements with bends are used to form channels with varying widths, then flow control is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas distribution plate is segmented into wire elements that can be independently positioned and arranged. Each wire element can be bent to specific shapes to create varying channel widths, allowing flow control to be achieved through simple reconfiguration rather than complex manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire elements serve as flexible structural components that can be bent into various shapes during assembly. This flexibility allows for easy creation of channels with varying widths and orientations by simply bending the wires to the desired configuration, reducing manufacturing complexity.
3Reliability
If wire elements are coated or sheathed for corrosion protection, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire elements are coated or sheathed with corrosion-resistant materials to create composite structures. This combines the mechanical properties of the wire (structural support and flexibility) with the protective properties of the coating (corrosion resistance), improving reliability without significantly increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating or sheath acts as a sacrificial protective layer that can be applied as a simple outer covering. This provides corrosion protection through a relatively simple additive process rather than requiring complex alloy compositions or multi-layer 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
The design enhances gas flow and water drainage control, enabling flexible and efficient operation in fuel cell stacks by varying channel widths and orientations, and adjusting hydrophobic properties through surface processing.
Implementation Method 1
wire elements having bends and thereby forming channels with varying widths between the wire elements within the second distribution structure
Implementation Method 2
a nano/microstructured surface to control wetting properties
Implementation Method 3
adjusting hydrophobic properties through surface processing
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a gas distributor plate for a fuel cell, comprising a first distribution structure for distributing a fuel to a first electrode and a second distribution structure (60) for distributing an oxidation agent to a second electrode. According to the invention, there is at least one wire element (80) in at least one of the distribution structures (60). The invention further relates to a fuel cell, which comprises at least one membrane electrode unit having a first electrode and a second electrode, which are separated from each other by a membrane, and at least one gas distribution plate according to the invention.