Heat treatment device of membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) for fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10128521-B2
Application number	US-201514947435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2015
Priority date	Sep 3, 2015
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

A heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell for heat-treating a membrane-electrode assembly sheet includes an electrolyte membrane and electrode catalyst layers continuously adhered onto both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, the heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell including: i) a feeding roller feeding the membrane-electrode assembly sheet along a predetermined transport path; and ii) hot presses disposed on upper and lower sides of the transport path, respectively, installed to be reciprocally movable in a vertical direction, and pressing portions of the electrode catalyst layers of upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet at a predetermined temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell for heat-treating a membrane-electrode assembly sheet including an electrolyte membrane and electrode catalyst layers continuously adhered onto both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, the heat treatment device comprising:
a feeding roller feeding the membrane-electrode assembly sheet along a predetermined transport path; and
hot presses disposed on upper and lower sides of the transport path, respectively, mounted to be reciprocatingly movable in a vertical direction and heat-pressing portions of the electrode catalyst layers of upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet at a predetermined temperature,
wherein the feeding roller being coupled to feeding holes formed in the membrane-electrode assembly sheet through feeding protrusions, and
the hot presses include
moving frames disposed to face each other on the upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and reciprocatingly movable in a vertical direction, and
a plurality of hot plates installed at the moving frames at a predetermined interval in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and pressing portions of the electrode catalyst layer of upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

2. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 1 , wherein:
the feeding protrusions protrude at the same pitch as that of the feeding holes at both sides of the feeding roller, and are fitted into the feeding holes, corresponding to the feeding holes spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance in a transport direction at both edge portions of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

3. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 1 , wherein:
the moving frames are mounted to be connected with press cylinders for reciprocatingly moving the moving frames toward the upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

4. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 1 , wherein:
the feeding roller is rotatably installed to a side at which the membrane-electrode assembly sheet enters between the upper and lower hot presses.

5. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 4 , wherein:
the feeding protrusions are formed as protrusions into a hemisphere shape on both external circumference surfaces of the feeding roller.

6. A heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell for heat-treating a membrane-electrode assembly sheet including an electrolyte membrane and electrode catalyst layers continuously adhered onto both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, the heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell comprising:
a feeding roller feeding the membrane-electrode assembly sheet along a predetermined transport path;
hot presses disposed on upper and lower sides of the transport path, respectively, installed to be reciprocally movable in a vertical direction and heat-pressing portions of the electrode catalyst layers of upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet at a predetermined temperature;
at least one feeding gripper mounted to a gripping frame to be reciprocally movable in a transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet and performing gripping on both edge portions in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and
a gripper moving unit mounted to the gripping frame so that the feeding grippers are reciprocally moved in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

7. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 6 , wherein:
the gripper moving unit includes
a servomotor installed in the gripping frame,
a lead screw installed to be connected with the servomotor,
a moving block coupled to the feeding gripper and engaged with the lead screw, and
a guide block installed to be fixed to the gripping frame, and coupled with the moving block to be slidably movable in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

8. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 7 , wherein:
the feeding gripper includes
a fixing gripping bar installed to be fixed to the moving block, and
a movable gripping bar installed to the moving block to be reciprocatingly movable in a vertical direction, corresponding to that of the fixing gripping bar.

9. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 8 , wherein:
the moving block is installed with
a gripping cylinder applying forward and reverse operation force in a vertical direction to the movable gripping bar.

10. A heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell for heat-treating a membrane-electrode assembly sheet including an electrolyte membrane and electrode catalyst layers continuously adhered onto both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, the heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell comprising:
a feeding roller feeding the membrane-electrode assembly sheet along a predetermined transport path;
hot presses disposed on upper and lower sides of the transport path, respectively, reciprocatingly movable in a vertical direction and heat-pressing portions of the electrode catalyst layers of upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet at a predetermined temperature; and
at least one feeding gripper mounted to a gripping frame to be reciprocatingly movable in a transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet and performing gripping on both edge portions in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet,
wherein the feeding roller being coupled to feeding holes formed in the membrane-electrode assembly sheet through feeding protrusions, and
the hot presses include
moving frames disposed to face each other on the upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and reciprocatingly movable in a vertical direction, and
a plurality of hot plates installed at the moving frames at a predetermined interval in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet, and pressing portions of the electrode catalyst layer of upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

11. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 10 , wherein:
the feeding protrusions protrude at the same pitch as the feeding holes at both sides of the feeding roller, and are fitted into the feeding holes, corresponding to the feeding holes spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance in a transport direction at both edge portions of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

12. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 10 , wherein
the moving frames are installed to be connected with press cylinders for reciprocatingly moving the moving frames toward the upper and lower surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

13. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 12 , wherein:
the gripping frame is installed with a gripper moving unit for reciprocally moving the feeding grippers in the transport direction of the membrane-electrode assembly sheet.

14. The heat treatment device of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell of claim 13 , wherein:
the gripper moving unit inclu

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Sung Hoon
• Ahn Jong Cheol

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M8/0273

  with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title