Fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11769897-B2
Application number	US-202117212349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2021
Priority date	Oct 29, 2020
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A fuel cell includes a cell stack including unit cells stacked in a first direction, first and second end plates at first and second ends of the cell stack, respectively, the first and second end plates each including a metal part and a resin part, an enclosure engaged with the first and second end plates to surround the cell stack, a first outer gasket between the resin part of the first end plate and the enclosure and a second outer gasket between the resin part of the second end plate and the enclosure, each of the resin parts including cutoff portions spaced apart from each other, and each of the cutoff portions extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction or in a third direction intersecting each of the first direction and the second direction to expose the metal parts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell, comprising:
a cell stack comprising a plurality of unit cells stacked in a first direction;
a first end plate disposed at a first end of the cell stack and a second end plate disposed at a second end of the cell stack, the first end plate and the second end plate each comprising a metal part and a resin part;
an enclosure engaged with the first and the second end plates so as to surround the cell stack;
a first outer gasket disposed between the resin part of the first end plate and the enclosure;
a second outer gasket disposed between the resin part of the second end plate and the enclosure; and
a first end cell heater disposed between a first cell located at the first end of the cell stack and the first end plate;
wherein the resin part of the first end plate and the resin part of the second end plate each comprise a plurality of cutoff portions spaced apart from each other;
wherein each of the plurality of cutoff portions extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction or in a third direction intersecting each of the first direction and the second direction to expose the metal part of the first end plate and the metal part of the second end plate, respectively;
wherein the metal part of the first end plate comprises:
a first inner surface facing the enclosure in the first direction; and
a second inner surface located under the first inner surface and facing the first end cell heater in the first direction;

wherein the resin part of the first end plate comprises:
an outer resin part embedded inside the first inner surface of the metal part of the first end plate such that the first outer gasket is disposed thereon; and
an inner resin part disposed on the second inner surface of the metal part of the first end plate; and

wherein one of the plurality of cutoff portions is located between the outer resin part and the inner resin part of the first end plate to expose the metal part of the first end plate.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second end cell heater disposed between a second cell located at the second end of the cell stack and the second end plate; and
a first inner gasket disposed around a manifold between the resin part of the first end plate and the first end cell heater and a second inner gasket disposed around the manifold between the resin part of the second end plate and the second end cell heater.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein the resin part of the first end plate, the first outer gasket, and the first inner gasket are integrally formed with each other.

4. The fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein:
among the plurality of cutoff portions, a cutoff portion extending in the second direction overlaps the manifold in the third direction; and
among the plurality of cutoff portions, a cutoff portion extending in the third direction overlaps the manifold in the second direction.

5. The fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of cutoff portions has a shape symmetrical in at least one of the second direction or the third direction.

6. The fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein the manifold comprises:
a hydrogen inlet and an oxygen inlet disposed opposite each other and spaced apart from each other in the second direction;
an oxygen outlet disposed below the hydrogen inlet and spaced apart from the hydrogen inlet in the third direction;
a hydrogen outlet disposed below the oxygen inlet and spaced apart from the oxygen inlet in the third direction; and
a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet disposed so as to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction.

7. The fuel cell according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of cutoff portions included in the first end plate comprises:
a first cutoff portion overlapping one having a greater length in the third direction, among the hydrogen inlet and the oxygen inlet, in the second direction;
a second cutoff portion overlapping one having a greater length in the third direction, among the hydrogen outlet and the oxygen outlet, in the second direction;
a third cutoff portion overlapping one having a greater length in the second direction, among the hydrogen inlet and the oxygen outlet, in the third direction; and
a fourth cutoff portion overlapping one having a greater length in the second direction, among the oxygen inlet and the hydrogen outlet, in the third direction.

8. The fuel cell according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of cutoff portions further comprises:
a fifth cutoff portion disposed between the first cutoff portion and the third cutoff portion;
a sixth cutoff portion disposed between the first cutoff portion and the fourth cutoff portion;
a seventh cutoff portion disposed between the second cutoff portion and the third cutoff portion; and
an eighth cutoff portion disposed between the second cutoff portion and the fourth cutoff portion.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of cutoff portions further comprises:
a ninth cutoff portion disposed between the first cutoff portion and the second cutoff portion.

10. The fuel cell according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of cutoff portions included in the second end plate comprises:
a tenth cutoff portion overlapping the coolant inlet in the third direction;
an eleventh cutoff portion overlapping the coolant outlet in the third direction; and
a twelfth cutoff portion overlapping one having a greater length in the third direction, among the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet, in the second direction.

11. The fuel cell according to claim 10 , wherein the twelfth cutoff portion has a shape that overlaps the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet in the second direction.

12. The fuel cell according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of cutoff portions further comprises:
a thirteenth cutoff portion disposed between the tenth cutoff portion and the twelfth cutoff portion; and
a fourteenth cutoff portion disposed between the eleventh cutoff portion and the twelfth cutoff portion.

13. The fuel cell according to claim 4 ,
wherein the second inner surface has a cross-sectional shape that protrudes further than the first inner surface in the first direction.

14. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the
inner resin part is disposed on the second inner surface of the metal part of the first end plate such that a first inner gasket is disposed thereon.

15. The fuel cell according to claim 14 , further comprising:
an outer groove receiving an outer protrusion protruding from the first outer gasket toward the enclosure; and
an inner groove receiving the first inner gasket protruding toward the first end cell heater.

16. The fuel cell according to claim 15 , wherein:
a length by which the outer protrusion protrudes from the first inner surface of the metal part of the first end plate in the first direction is less than or equal to a predetermined length; and
the outer groove is formed in the outer resin part.

17. The fuel cell according to claim 15 , wherein:
a length by which the outer protrusion protrudes from the first inner surface of the metal part of the first end plate in the first direction is greater than a predetermined length; and
the outer groove is formed in the enclosure.

18. The fuel cell according to claim 15 , wherein the inner groove is formed in the first end cell heater.

19. The fuel cell according to claim 14 , wherein the first outer gasket comprises:
a first outer surface facing the e

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Daewon Kang Up Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ahn Jae Min
• Heo Yong Suk
• Song Gin Ook
• Lee Byung Keun

Classifications

• H01M8/2475 Primary

  Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04029

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title

• H01M8/04037

  Electrical heating · CPC title

• H01M8/241

  with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/2457

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised · CPC title