IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0054952
(2013-10-16)
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등록번호 |
US-9478812
(2016-10-25)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Darga, Daniel
- Verma, Avinash
- Couse, Stephen
- Armstrong, Tad
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
The Marbury Law Group PLLC
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
1 인용 특허 :
50 |
초록
▼
Various embodiments include interconnects for a fuel cell stack that includes a first support frame having a first surface that is configured to be secured to a first surface of a fuel cell. A gas flow separator section is secured to a second surface of the first support frame, opposite the first su
Various embodiments include interconnects for a fuel cell stack that includes a first support frame having a first surface that is configured to be secured to a first surface of a fuel cell. A gas flow separator section is secured to a second surface of the first support frame, opposite the first surface of the first support frame. A second support frame is secured to a second surface of a second fuel cell, opposite the first surface of the first fuel cell. The first and second support frames have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that substantially matches the CTE of the electrolyte material of the fuel cells, and the gas flow separator section has a CTE that does not substantially match a CTE of an electrolyte material of the fuel cells.
대표청구항
▼
1. An interconnect for a fuel cell stack, comprising: a first support frame having a first surface that is configured to be secured to a first surface of a first fuel cell in the stack, the first support frame having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that matches within 1% of a CTE of an elec
1. An interconnect for a fuel cell stack, comprising: a first support frame having a first surface that is configured to be secured to a first surface of a first fuel cell in the stack, the first support frame having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that matches within 1% of a CTE of an electrolyte material of the first fuel cell; anda gas flow separator section that is secured to a second surface of the first support frame, opposite the first surface of the first support frame, the gas flow separator section having a CTE that differs by greater than 10% from the CTE of the electrolyte material of the first fuel cell. 2. The interconnect of claim 1, wherein the first support frame comprises an open region, and the gas flow separator section comprises a ridged portion over a first major surface of the gas flow separator section, such that when the gas flow separator is attached to the second surface of the first support frame, the ridged portion is configured to contact the first surface of the fuel cell to define a first fluid flow field, wherein the gas flow separator section is impermeable to fuel and air. 3. The interconnect of claim 1, further comprising: a second support frame having a first surface that is configured to be secured to a second surface of a second fuel cell, opposite the first surface of the first fuel cell, the second support frame having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that matches within 1% of a CTE of the electrolyte material of the second fuel cell, wherein the second support frame comprises a second surface, opposite the first surface, that is configured to contact a surface of the gas flow separator section, and an open region, such that when the gas flow separator contacts the second surface of the second support frame, a ridged portion of the second major surface of the gas flow separator contacts against the second surface of the second fuel cell to define a second fluid flow field. 4. The interconnect of claim 3, wherein at least one of: (a) the first support frame and the second support frame are symmetric with respect to each other when attached to the gas flow separator section,(b) the first support frame and the second support frame are comprised of a metal material containing chromium, and the metal material comprising approximately 93-97% chromium and approximately 4-6% iron and the frames are made by powder metallurgy,(c) the interconnect comprises a first window seal for attaching the first support frame to a first side of the first fuel cell and a second window seal for attaching the second support frame to the second side of the second fuel cell, and(d) the first support frame and the second support frame have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between about 7×10−6/° C. and about 13×10−6/° C. 5. The interconnect of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first major surface of the gas flow separator section and a second major surface of the gas flow separator section comprises a surface of a shaped metal sheet that is stamped to form a ridged section. 6. The interconnect of claim 5, wherein the gas flow separator section further comprises a first shaped metal sheet defining the first major surface of the gas flow separator section and a second shaped metal sheet defining the second major surface of the gas flow separator section, wherein at least one of: (a) the gas flow separator further comprises an isothermal plate between the first shaped metal sheet and the second shaped metal sheet,(b) the gas flow separator further comprises an isothermal plate and the first shaped metal sheet, the second shaped metal sheet and the isothermal plate are made of the same metal material, and(c) the first shaped metal sheet is attached to the second shaped metal sheet via one or more of laser welding, friction welding, brazing and spot welding. 7. The interconnect of claim 1, wherein at least one of: (a) the gas flow separator section has a CTE that differs from the CTE of the fuel cell electrolyte material by at least about 1.0%,(b) the interconnect further comprises a seal at an interface between the second surface of the first support frame and the gas flow separator section, wherein the seal comprises a glass or glass-ceramic seal,(c) the interconnect further comprises a seal at an interface between the second surface of the first support frame and the gas flow separator section, wherein the second surface of the first support frame comprises a plurality of ridges, and the seal is provided within the ridges, and(d) the first surface of the first fuel cell comprises an anode-side of the fuel cell. 8. The interconnect of claim 3, wherein the first surface of the first fuel cell comprises an anode-side of the first fuel cell and the second surface of the second fuel cell comprises a cathode-side of the second fuel cell, and the gas flow separator section comprises: a fuel inlet portion for delivering a fuel to the first fluid flow field; anda fuel outlet portion for removing fuel from the first fluid flow field, and wherein at least one of:(a) the interconnect delivers fuel to the first fluid flow field and removes fuel from the first fluid flow field without flowing fuel through an opening in the first fuel cell electrolyte,(b) the fuel inlet portion comprises an inlet opening extending through the gas flow separator section, a raised portion in the first major surface of the gas flow separator section, the raised portion completely surrounding the inlet opening with the exception of a gap in the raised portion, and a bridge portion of the first support frame that extends into the gap, the bridge portion including at least one channel defining a fluid flow path between the inlet opening and the first fluid flow field, and(c) the fuel outlet portion comprises an outlet opening extending through the gas flow separator section, a raised portion in the first major surface of the gas flow separator section, the raised portion completely surrounding the outlet opening with the exception of a gap in the raised portion, and a bridge portion of the first support frame that extends into the gap, the bridge portion including at least one channel defining a fluid flow path between the first fluid flow field and the outlet opening. 9. The interconnect of claim 8, wherein at least one of the fuel inlet portion and the fuel outlet portion comprises: a raised portion completely surrounding an opening extending through the gas flow separator section with the exception of a gap in the raised portion;a bridge portion of the first support frame that extends into the gap, the bridge portion including at least one channel defining a fluid flow path between the opening and the first fluid flow field, anda plenum seal extending over the raised portion and a surface of the bridge portion, wherein the plenum seal is configured to seal with a surface of an adjacent interconnect in a fuel cell stack to provide at least one of an inlet fuel plenum and an outlet fuel plenum. 10. The interconnect of claim 3, wherein the second surface of the second support frame comprises ridges defining fluid channels such that when the support frame contacts a gas flow separator section, air enters and exits the second fluid flow field via the fluid channels, the interconnect further comprising a seal at an interface between the second surface of the second support frame and a gas flow separator, wherein the seal is provided over a portion of the ridges on the second surface of the second support frame. 11. A fuel cell stack, comprising: a plurality of fuel cells each having an anode-side and a cathode-side and an electrolyte material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE); anda plurality of interconnects according to claim 1, wherein each interconnect comprises: the first support frame comprises an anode support frame attached directly or indirectly to the anode-side of a first one of a plurality of fuel cells;a cathode support frame attached to the cathode-side of a second one of the plurality of fuel cells, the anode support frame and the cathode support frame being formed of a material having a CTE that matches within 1% of the CTE of the electrolyte material of the first and second fuel cells; andthe gas flow separator section provided between the anode support frame and the cathode support frame, the gas flow separator section being formed of a material having a CTE that differs by greater than 10% from the CTE of the electrolyte material of the fuel cells. 12. The fuel cell stack of claim 11, wherein at least one of: (a) during operation of the stack, thermal stress forces are generated primarily at interfaces between the gas flow separator section and the anode and cathode support frames, and no thermal stress forces are generated at an interface between the anode and cathode support frames and the first and the second fuel cells,(b) the fuel cells comprise solid oxide fuel cells,(c) the gas flow separator section comprises an anode-facing major surface that contacts the anode-side of the first fuel cell in the stack to define an anode flow field and a cathode-facing major surface that contacts the cathode-side of the second fuel cell in the stack to define a cathode flow field,(d) the first and second major surfaces of the gas flow separator section comprises shaped metal sheets,(e) the electrolyte material, the first support frame and the second support frame have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) within about 1.0% of each other, and the gas flow separator section has a CTE that differs from the electrolyte material by more than 1.0%, and(f) the gas flow separator section comprises an isothermal plate provided between first and second shaped metal sheets.
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