Elastomeric cell frame for fuel cell, method of manufacturing same, and unit cell having same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11024866-B2
Application number	US-201916670951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2019
Priority date	Dec 12, 2018
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

An elastomeric cell frame forming a unit cell of a fuel cell stack may include an insert in which a membrane electrode assembly and a pair of gas diffusion layers are bonded to each other; and an elastomeric frame disposed to surround a periphery of side surfaces of the insert, in which the side surfaces of the insert are positioned between the upper and lower surfaces of the insert, one of upper and lower surfaces of the insert and side surfaces of the insert and bonded with the periphery of the surface of the insert and the side surfaces of the insert into an integrated structure by thermal bonding.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elastomeric cell frame for a fuel cell which forms a unit cell of a fuel cell stack, the elastomeric cell frame comprising:
an insert including a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and a pair of gas diffusion layers (GDLs) disposed on and bonded on upper and lower surfaces of the MEA, respectively; and
an elastomeric frame member disposed in an external region of the insert,
wherein the elastomeric frame member is provided to surround side surfaces of the insert in which the side surfaces of the insert are positioned between upper and lower surfaces of the insert and one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert, and bonded with the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert and the side surfaces of the insert, into an integrated structure by thermal bonding.

2. The elastomeric frame of claim 1 ,
wherein the thermal bonding is one of hot-press bonding, ultrasonic bonding, high frequency bonding, vibration bonding, infrared bonding, radiant-heat bonding, calender bonding and laser bonding.

3. The elastomeric frame of claim 1 ,
wherein the elastomeric frame member includes an insert receiving hole in which the insert is disposed, and
wherein an internal circumferential surface of the insert receiving hole includes a step surrounding the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert and the side surfaces of the insert.

4. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 3 ,
wherein the elastomeric frame member includes thermal-bonded portions having:
a first thermal-bonded portion in which the step of the elastomeric frame member and the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert face each other and are thermally bonded together; and
a second thermal-bonded portion formed in a shape of a recess, in which the side surfaces of the insert are thermally bonded to the second thermal-bonded portion.

5. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 1 ,
wherein a plurality of inlet manifold through-holes through which reaction gas and coolant are introduced are provided on a first side of the elastomeric frame member, and
wherein a plurality of outlet manifold through-holes through which the reaction gas and the coolant are discharged are provided on a second side of the elastomeric frame member, which is an opposite side of the inlet manifold through-holes.

6. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the elastomeric frame member is provided with at least one protrusion seal surrounding the insert along the external region of the insert.

7. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 6 ,
wherein the at least one protrusion seal includes a first pair of protrusion seals formed on the upper surface of the elastomeric frame member, and
wherein the at least one protrusion seal includes a second pair of protrusion seals formed on the lower surface of the elastomeric frame.

8. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 7 ,
wherein the first pair of protrusion seals formed on the upper surface of the elastomeric frame member and the second pair of protrusion seals formed on the lower surface of the elastomeric frame member are aligned along a same vertical axis.

9. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric frame member is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

10. The elastomeric cell frame of claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric frame member is formed in a form of a sheet.

11. A method of manufacturing an elastomeric cell frame for a fuel cell which forms a unit cell of a fuel cell stack, the method including:
preparing an insert by bonding gas diffusion layers (GDLs) to upper and lower surfaces of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA);
preparing an elastomeric frame member;
disposing the insert so that side surfaces of the insert in which the side surfaces of the insert are positioned between upper and lower surfaces of the insert, and one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert, are overlapped with the elastomeric frame member; and
integrating the elastomeric frame member and the insert with each other by thermal bonding in which an overlapped portion of the elastomeric frame member and the insert is heated and pressed.

12. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein the thermal bonding is one of hot-press bonding, ultrasonic bonding, high frequency bonding, vibration bonding, infrared bonding, radiant-heat bonding, calender bonding and laser bonding.

13. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein, in the preparing of the elastomeric frame member, the elastomeric frame member is prepared by molding a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) into a sheet form.

14. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein, in the preparing of the elastomeric frame member, the elastomeric frame member includes an insert receiving hole in which the insert is disposed, and an internal circumferential surface of the insert receiving hole includes a step surrounding the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert and the side surfaces of the insert, and
wherein, in the disposing of the insert, the insert is disposed such that a periphery of the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert is accommodated on the step.

15. The method of claim 14 ,
wherein the elastomeric frame member includes thermal-bonded portions having:
a first thermal-bonded portion in which the step of the elastomeric frame member and the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert face each other and are thermally bonded together; and
a second thermal-bonded portion formed in a shape of a recess, in which the side surfaces of the insert are thermally bonded to the second thermal-bonded portion.

16. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein, in the integrating of the elastomeric frame member and the insert, a temperature of heat applied to the elastomeric frame member is higher than melting temperature of the elastomeric frame.

17. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein, in the integrating of the elastomeric frame member and the insert, the elastomeric frame member is thermally bonded to the insert without using an adhesive member.

18. A unit cell for a fuel cell, the unit cell comprising:
an insert including a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and a pair of gas diffusion layers (GDLs) disposed on and bonded on upper and lower surfaces of the MEA, respectively;
an elastomeric cell frame including an elastomeric frame member disposed in an external region of the insert, wherein the elastomeric frame member is provided to surround side surfaces of the insert, in which the side surfaces of the insert are positioned between upper and lower surfaces of the insert, and one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert and the side surfaces of the insert, and bonded with the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert and the side surfaces of the insert, into an integrated structure by thermal bonding; and
a pair of separators disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the elastomeric cell frame member to guide flow of reaction gas and coolant.

19. The unit cell of claim 18 ,
wherein the elastomeric frame member includes a step and a thermal-bonded portions, and
wherein the thermal-bonded portions includes:
a first thermal-bonded portion in which the step of the elastomeric frame member and the one of the upper and lower surfaces of the insert face each other and are thermally bonded together; and
a second thermal-bonded portion formed in a shape of a recess, in which the side surfaces of the insert are thermally bonded to the second thermal-bonded portion.

20. The unit cel

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Jeong Byeong-Heon
• Yoo Jin Hyeok
• Heo Seong Il

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M8/028

  Sealing means characterised by their material · CPC title

• H01M8/0276

  Sealing means characterised by their form (H01M8/0273 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0273 Primary

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

• H01M8/0258

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