Fuel Cell Separator Warp Correction via Compressed Air
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for laminating separators and membrane/electrode assemblies in fuel cells often result in poor sealing due to warping of the separators, which causes the sealant to be thinner on the inner edges, leading to leakage issues.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a correcting device to flatten the separators using compressed air jets, ensuring an even thickness of the sealant and preventing damage, allowing for effective lamination and improved sealing by reducing the height difference between the sealant-applied and corrected surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separators are laminated without warp correction, then the lamination process is simple and fast, but the sealant thickness becomes uneven and sealing quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is subjected to warp correction before the sealant is applied and before lamination occurs. This preliminary flattening action ensures that when sealant is applied, the surface is already flat, allowing for uniform thickness distribution. The correcting device activates prior to sealant application, preventing the warp-induced thickness variation that would otherwise occur during lamination.
Solution Approach 2:
A correcting device is introduced as an intermediary component between the separator and the lamination process. This device includes a pressing member that applies pressure to flatten the separator, and a blowing member that uses compressed air to assist in the flattening process. This intermediary mechanism mediates the warp issue without requiring complex adjustments to the sealant application or lamination processes themselves.
2Productivity
If separators with grooves are used to improve gas flow, then fuel cell performance is enhanced, but the separators become more prone to warping
Solution Approach 1:
The correcting device applies a counteracting force to the warp tendency of the grooved separator. The pressing member exerts pressure in the opposite direction of the warp, while the blowing member uses compressed air to push the separator surface flat. This preliminary anti-action counteracts the warping effect before it can affect sealant application, allowing grooved separators to maintain both their performance-enhancing groove structure and their flatness during lamination.
3Reliability
If two gaskets are used for sealing instead of sealant, then sealing reliability is improved, but the device complexity and assembly steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for separate gasket components by focusing on improving the sealant application process itself. Instead of adding gaskets as a separate sealing mechanism, the solution takes out the warp problem that causes sealant application failure and resolves it through the correcting device. This maintains the simplicity of using sealant alone while achieving reliable sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state and distribution parameters of the sealant by ensuring uniform application on a flat surface. The correcting device modifies the separator surface parameter (flatness), which in turn allows the sealant to be applied with uniform thickness and proper bonding characteristics, achieving sealing reliability comparable to or better than gasket systems without the added 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 approach ensures good sealing in fuel cells by evenly distributing the sealant across the separators, enhancing the workability and reliability of the lamination process while preventing metal ion deposition that could degrade fuel cell performance.
Implementation Method 1
a correcting device for correcting a warp in the separator; wherein, the membrane/electrode assembly is superimposed on the separator with the correcting device being operated
Data Source
AI summary
The present method corrects a warp in a separator (78) applied with a sealant (97) during production of fuel cells. The correction is performed at a correcting device (47). With the warp being corrected at the correcting device, a membrane/electrode assembly is superimposed on the separator.