Separator plate for an electrochemical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10854891-B2
Application number	US-201615760677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A separator plate for an electrochemical system may have at least one passage opening for forming a media channel for feeding or discharging media. The system may also have at least one bead arrangement arranged around the at least one passage opening, for the purpose of sealing the passage opening. At least one of the flanks of the bead arrangement may have at least one opening for conducting a medium through the bead flank. The system may also have at least one guide channel that is connected, on an exterior of the bead arrangement, to the openings in the bead flank and is fluidically connected to a bead interior via the opening in the bead flank. The guide channel is designed such that a guide channel width, determined parallel to the flat surface plane of the separator plate, increases at least in some sections in the direction of the bead arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A separator plate for an electrochemical system, comprising:
at least one passage opening for forming a media channel for feeding or discharging media;
at least one bead arrangement arranged around the at least one passage opening for the purpose of sealing the at least one passage opening, wherein the bead arrangement has at least one bead flank wherein the at least one bead flank comprises at least one opening for conducting a medium through the bead flank; and
at least one guide channel, which is connected, on an exterior of the bead arrangement, to the opening in the bead flank and is fluidically connected to a bead interior of the bead arrangement via the at least one passage opening, in the bead flank;
wherein the guide channel is designed such that a guide channel width parallel to a flat surface plane of the separator plate increases in a direction of the bead arrangement at least in sections.

2. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that a height of the guide channel determined perpendicularly to the flat surface plane of the separator plate decreases in the direction of the bead arrangement at least in sections.

3. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that a cross-sectional area of the guide channel along a middle 25% of the extent of the guide channel, changes by 25%, and wherein the guide channel extends from an end of the guide channel facing away from the bead arrangement to the opening in the bead flank.

4. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that the width of the guide channel increases monotonically along the guide channel, at least over 60% of a length of the guide channel adjacent to the bead flank, and wherein the guide channel extends from an end of the guide channel facing away from the bead arrangement to the opening in the bead flank.

5. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that the width of the guide channel increases linearly.

6. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that a height of the guide channel decreases monotonically along the guide channel, wherein the guide channel extends from an end of the guide channel facing away from the bead arrangement to the opening in the bead flank.

7. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that the width of the guide channel increases at least along 160% of a length of the guide channel adjacent to the bead flank at least by 10%, and wherein the guide channel extends from an end of the guide channel facing away from the bead arrangement to the opening in the bead flank.

8. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein in an uncompressed state of the bead arrangement, the opening in the bead flank reaches, perpendicularly to the flat surface plane of the separator plate, as far as a height that is at most 80% of a height of the bead arrangement.

9. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein in an uncompressed state of the bead arrangement, the guide channel is designed such that an inlet or an outlet of the guide channel, which forms an end of the guide channel facing away from the bead arrangement, reaches, perpendicularly to the flat surface plane of the separator plate, as far as a height that is at most 90% of a height of the bead arrangement.

10. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel has a rectangular, trapezoid, or at least partially rounded cross-section, at least in some sections.

11. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the guide channel is designed such that a roof of the guide channel has a convex curvature in the direction of the bead arrangement, at least in some sections.

12. The separator plate according to claim 11 , wherein the opening is arranged in the bead flank, connected by the guide channel on the exterior of the bead arrangement, in a region of an inflection point of a portion of the bead arrangement extending in a wave-like manner.

13. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the separator plate is formed as a bipolar plate with two individual plates connected to one another, and wherein the bead arrangement and the guide channel are formed in at least one of the individual plates.

14. The separator plate according to claim 13 , wherein the bead arrangement, the guide channel, and the individual plate in which the bead arrangement and the guide channel are formed, are formed in one piece, and wherein the bead arrangement and the guide channel are formed integrally in the individual plate.

15. The separator plate according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of the bead flanks of the bead arrangement has multiple openings, which are each connected on the exterior of the bead arrangement by a separate guide channel, which widens in the direction of the bead arrangement at least in some sections, and wherein an integrally bonded connection between the individual plates is formed, at least between some of the guide channels arranged directly adjacently to one another.

16. The separator plate according to claim 15 , wherein the integrally bonded connection is a soldered connection, an adhesively bonded connection, or a welded connection.

17. The separator plate according to claim 13 , wherein the individual plates are formed from metal, and wherein a thickness of the individual plates defined perpendicularly to a flat surface plane of the individual plates is in each case between 50 μm and 150 μm.

18. The separator plate according to claim 13 , wherein the individual plates enclose a hollow space for passage of a cooling medium.

19. The separator plate according to claim 18 , wherein the hollow space for the passage of the cooling medium is in fluid communication with the bead interior.

20. The separator plate according to claim 13 , wherein at least one of the individual plates has a structure on its surface facing away from the other individual plate for guiding reaction medium, and wherein the structure for guiding the reaction medium is in fluidic communication with the bead interior via at least one inlet or outlet of the guide channel in the form of an opening in the individual plate.

21. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the opening in the bead arrangement and the guide channel are arranged on a flank of the bead arrangement facing away from the at least one passage opening, of the separator plate and/or on a flank of the bead arrangement facing in a direction of the at least one passage opening, of the separator plate.

22. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein the bead arrangement is formed at least in some sections in such a way that the bead flanks each form an angle of less than 70 degrees, with a vertical direction oriented perpendicularly to the flat surface plane of the separator plate, and in that a bead roof has a convex curvature, so that the bead roof has a lower rigidity than the bead flanks.

23. The separator plate according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the bead arrangement in an uncompressed state is less than 800 μm.

Assignees

• Reinz Dichtungs Gmbh

Inventors

• Glueck Rainer
• Kunz Claudia
• Oruc Ahmet
• Speidel Andre
• Wenzel Stephan

Classifications

• C25B9/77

  having diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B9/70

  Assemblies comprising two or more cells · CPC title

• C25B9/73

  of the filter-press type · CPC title

• C25B9/65

  Means for supplying current; Electrode connections; Electric inter-cell connections · CPC title

• H01M8/0247

  characterised by the form (characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258) · CPC title