Fuel cell cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12463226-B2
Application number	US-202117910816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2021
Priority date	May 11, 2020
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A bipolar plate for an electrochemical cell, includes a flow space arranged between a first and a second plate element and has a flow inlet and a flow outlet for a coolant flowing through the flow space. Each plate element has a contact plane for contacting the other plate element and, between the flow inlet and the flow outlet, a plurality of elevations protrude from the contact plane and face away from the other plate element. The elevations have openings facing the contact plane. First flow channels are formed through the openings in the elevations by the elevations of the two plate elements being offset from one another. Each elevation at least partially overlaps at least one elevation of the other plate element. A direction-dependent flow resistance is set in the first flow channels of the bipolar plate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bipolar plate for an electrochemical cell, comprising:
a flow space which is disposed between a first plate element and a second plate element and which comprises a flow inlet and a flow outlet for a coolant that flows through the flow space,
wherein each plate element comprises a contact plane for contact with the respective other plate element of the first and second plate elements and, between the flow inlet and the flow outlet, each plate element comprises a multitude of elevations which project out of the contact plane and face away from the respective other plate element and which define openings toward the contact plane, and
wherein first flow channels are formed by the openings of the elevations in that the elevations of the first and the second plate elements are offset with respect to one another,
wherein each elevation of the multitude of elevations of the first plate element at least partly overlaps with at least one elevation of the multitude of elevations of the second plate element,
wherein a direction-dependent flow resistance is established in the first flow channels of the bipolar plate in that the elevations on the plate elements are disposed in vertices of regular triangles, and
wherein the plate elements are arranged offset with respect to one another such that, in a projection onto the contact plane, a center of a select elevation of the first plate element is disposed within but not centered in an associated triangle of the regular triangles, wherein the associated triangle is formed by respective centers of three elevations of the second plate element that are closest to the select elevation of the first plate element.

2. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein a flow resistance in a direction of a connecting line between the flow inlet and the flow outlet is greater than at right angles thereto.

3. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the elevations have frustoconical profiles.

4. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein a main axis is defined by the respective centers of a first elevation and a second elevation of the three elevations that form the associated triangle,
wherein the main axis is oriented at right angles to a connecting line,
wherein a center of a third elevation of the three elevations is centered on the connecting line,
wherein the center of the select elevation of the first plate element is disposed on the connecting line between the center of the associated triangle and the main axis such that a distance to the center of the third elevation is greater than distances to the respective centers of the first elevation and the second elevation.

5. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 1 ,
further comprising second flow channels on the first plate element, each second flow channel being formed by a combination of at least two elevations of the first plate element.

6. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 5 ,
wherein the second flow channels are disposed only in edge regions of the bipolar plate and wherein at least some of the second flow channels are disposed in edge regions without the flow inlet or the flow outlet.

7. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 6 ,
wherein the second flow channels form a circumferential ring channel in the edge regions.

8. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 5 ,
wherein a separating land formed between two adjacent second flow channels of the second flow channels on the first plate element comprises a non-zero distance from the contact plane.

9. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 8 ,
wherein a height of the separating land is zero.

10. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 5 ,
further comprising second flow channels on the second plate element, each second flow channel on the second plate element being formed by a combination of at least two elevations of the second plate element,
wherein an orientation of the second flow channels on the first plate element is different than the orientation of the second flow channels on the second plate element.

11. The bipolar plate as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the associated triangle is one of a plurality of associated triangles;
wherein the select elevation is one of a plurality of select elevations; and
wherein the plurality of associated triangles and the plurality of select elevations define a main flow field that extends the entire way between the flow inlet and the flow outlet.

12. An electrochemical cell, comprising:
at least one bipolar plate as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Siemens Energy Global Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Brandt Torsten
• Braunecker Michael
• Bärnreuther Frank
• Mattejat Arno

Classifications

• H01M8/04029

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/026

  characterised by grooves, e.g. their pitch or depth · 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

• H01M8/0258 Primary

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