Permeable support layer for fuel cell fluid flow networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12355114-B2
Application number	US-202017085590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2020
Priority date	Oct 30, 2020
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

A fuel cell may include a first fuel cell bipolar plate defining an air layer, a second fuel cell bipolar plate defining a hydrogen layer, and a coolant layer defined by the air layer and the hydrogen layer. The coolant layer includes a plurality of coolant microchannels that facilitate flow of a coolant. A permeable support layer is arranged between the air layer and the hydrogen layer to define a gap therebetween to prevent flow blockage of the coolant microchannels while facilitating coolant flow therethrough.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell, comprising:
a first fuel cell bipolar plate defining an air layer having a plurality of air microchannels that facilitate flow of air therethrough;
a second fuel cell bipolar plate defining a hydrogen layer having a plurality of hydrogen microchannels that facilitate flow of hydrogen therethrough;
a coolant layer, defined by an opposite side of the plurality of air microchannels of the first fuel cell bipolar plate and an opposite side of the plurality of hydrogen microchannels of the second fuel cell bipolar plate, having a plurality of coolant microchannels that facilitate flow of a coolant therethrough; and
a permeable support layer, comprising a plurality of additional coolant microchannels, extending laterally across the plurality of coolant microchannels and between the opposite side of the plurality of air microchannels of the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the opposite side of the plurality of hydrogen microchannels of the second fuel cell bipolar plate, the permeable support layer contacting the opposite side of the plurality of air microchannels of the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the opposite side of the plurality of hydrogen microchannels of the second fuel cell bipolar plate and defining a physical gap between the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate preventing the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate from touching while facilitating coolant flow through the plurality of the additional coolant microchannels within the permeable support layer, wherein the permeable support layer is positioned between the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate at least where an air microchannel of the plurality of air microchannels and a hydrogen microchannel of the plurality of hydrogen microchannels are aligned.

2. The fuel cell of claim 1 , wherein the permeable support layer is composed of a metal material.

3. The fuel cell of claim 2 , wherein a permeability of the permeable support layer is graded across the permeable support layer.

4. The fuel cell of claim 2 , wherein the permeable support layer comprises a thermally conductive metal mesh to facilitate coolant flow therethrough and define a thermally conductive path between the air layer and the hydrogen layer.

5. The fuel cell of claim 1 , wherein the permeable support layer is composed of a foam material.

6. The fuel cell of claim 5 , wherein the permeable support layer comprises a thermally conductive foam member to define a thermally conductive path between the air layer and the hydrogen layer.

7. The fuel cell of claim 1 , wherein the permeable support layer is sintered to the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate.

8. A fuel cell, comprising:
a first fuel cell bipolar plate defining an air layer having a plurality of air microchannels that facilitate flow of air therethrough;
a second fuel cell bipolar plate defining a hydrogen layer having a plurality of hydrogen microchannels that facilitate flow of hydrogen therethrough;
a coolant layer, defined by stacking the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate, having a plurality of coolant microchannels that facilitate flow of a coolant therethrough for thermal management of the fuel cell; and
a support layer, comprising a plurality of additional coolant microchannels, and composed of one or more permeable, thermally conductive materials and configured to extend laterally across the plurality of coolant microchannels and between the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate, the support layer contacting an opposite side of the plurality of air microchannels of the first fuel cell bipolar plate and an opposite side of the plurality of hydrogen microchannels of the second fuel cell bipolar plate and defining a physical gap between the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate preventing the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate from touching while defining a thermally conductive path between the air layer and the hydrogen layer while facilitating coolant flow through the plurality of additional coolant microchannels within the support layer.

9. The fuel cell of claim 8 , wherein the support layer is composed of a metal material.

10. The fuel cell of claim 9 , wherein the support layer comprises a metal mesh.

11. The fuel cell of claim 8 , wherein the support layer is composed of a foam material.

12. The fuel cell of claim 8 , wherein the support layer is sintered to the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate.

13. A method of fabricating the fuel cell of either claim 1 or claim 8 , the method comprising:
identifying one or more regions of fluid flow blockage between the first fuel cell bipolar plate and the second fuel cell bipolar plate; and
defining the physical gap between the air layer and the hydrogen layer by arranging the permeable support layer at the identified one or more regions that prevents flow blockage at the coolant layer while facilitating coolant flow through the permeable support layer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the permeable support layer is composed of a metal material.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the permeable support layer comprises a metal mesh.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the permeable support layer is composed of one or more thermally conductive metal materials.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising, concurrently with defining the physical gap between the air layer and the hydrogen layer, defining a thermally conductive path between the air layer and the hydrogen layer by positioning the permeable support layer at the identified one or more regions.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the permeable support layer is composed of a foam material.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the permeable support layer is composed of one or more thermally conductive foam materials.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising, concurrently with defining the physical gap between the air layer and the hydrogen layer, defining a thermally conductive path between the air layer and the hydrogen layer by positioning the permeable support layer at the identified one or more regions.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Dede Ercan M
• Zhou Yuqing

Classifications

• H01M8/0232

  Metals or alloys · CPC title

• H01M8/0228

  in the form of layered or coated products · CPC title

• H01M8/0267 Primary

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/0223

  Composites · CPC title