Porous body for fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10615428-B2
Application number	US-201715703000-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2017
Priority date	Dec 16, 2016
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A porous body for a fuel cell is interposed between a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and a bipolar plate to form a gas channel through which a reactant gas flows in a predetermined direction, the porous body including: a main body disposed to contact the bipolar plate; and a plurality of ribs each including a land portion disposed to contact the MEA and a connecting portion connecting the land portion to the main body, in which an area of the land portion is gradually narrowed from an upstream part to a downstream part of the gas channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A porous body for a fuel cell, which is interposed between a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and a bipolar plate to form a gas channel through which a reactant gas flows in a predetermined direction, the porous body comprising:
a main body disposed to contact the bipolar plate; and
a plurality of ribs each including a land portion disposed to contact the MEA and a connecting portion connecting the land portion to the main body,
wherein a the connecting portion is inclined at a predetermined angle of inclination with respect to a direction of gas flow, and
wherein the predetermined angle of inclination is increased from an upstream part to a downstream part of the gas channel in at least some sections of the gas channel.

2. The porous body according to claim 1 , wherein the main body includes a plurality of first holes perforated at predetermined intervals, and the connecting portion of each of the plurality of ribs extends from an inner surface of each of the plurality of first holes and is connected to the inner surface of each of the plurality of first holes.

3. The porous body according to claim 2 , wherein a sum of an area of the land portion and an area of the connecting portion is the same as an area of each of the plurality of first holes.

4. The porous body according to claim 1 , wherein
area of the land portion is gradually narrowed from the upstream part of the gas channel to the downstream part thereof.

5. The porous body according to claim 1 , wherein a gas diffusion layer is attached to the MEA, and
the porous body is interposed between the gas diffusion layer and the bipolar plate.

6. A porous body for a fuel cell, which is interposed between a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and a bipolar plate to form a gas channel through which a reactant gas flows in a predetermined direction, the porous body comprising:
a main body disposed to contact the bipolar plate; and
a plurality of ribs each including a land portion disposed to contact the MEA and a connecting portion connecting the land portion to the main body,
wherein an area of the land portion is gradually narrowed from an upstream part to a downstream part of the gas channel,
wherein the plurality of ribs are classified into a plurality of first ribs located in the upstream part of the gas channel and a plurality of second ribs located below the plurality of first ribs in the downstream part of the gas channel,
wherein each of the plurality of first ribs includes a first land portion disposed to contact the MEA and a first connecting portion connecting the first land portion to the main body,
wherein each of the plurality of second ribs includes a second land portion disposed to contact the MEA and having an area narrower than that of the first land portion and a second connecting portion connecting the second land portion to the main body, and
wherein each of the plurality of second ribs includes a second hole perforated in the second land portion.

7. The porous body according to claim 6 , wherein an area of the first land portion is gradually narrowed from the upstream part of the gas channel to the downstream part thereof, and
wherein an area of the second land portion is gradually narrowed from the upstream part of the gas channel to the downstream part thereof.

8. The porous body according to claim 6 , wherein a direction of gas flow is parallel to a direction of gravity,
the first connecting portion is inclined in a direction opposing the direction of gravity as the first connecting portion extends from the main body to the first land portion, and
the second connecting portion is inclined in a direction toward the direction of gravity as the second connecting portion extends from the main body to the second land portion.

9. The porous body according to claim 6 , wherein the main body includes a plurality of first holes perforated at predetermined intervals, and
the connecting portion of each of the plurality of ribs extends from an inner surface of each of the plurality of first holes and is connected to the inner surface of each of the plurality of first holes.

10. The porous body according to claim 9 , wherein a sum of an area of the land portion and an area of the connecting portion is the same as an area of each of the plurality of first holes.

11. The porous body according to claim 6 , wherein a gas diffusion layer is attached to the MEA, and
the porous body is interposed between the gas diffusion layer and the bipolar plate.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Jo Jang Ho
• Park Soon Hong

Classifications

• H01M8/0258 Primary

  characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant · CPC title

• H01M8/0256

  Vias, i.e. connectors passing through the separator material · CPC title

• H01M8/0241

  Composites · CPC title

• H01M8/0297

  Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other (H01M8/0271 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/1004

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