Connector system for a fuel cell stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018351182-A1
Application number	US-201615777017-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 24, 2016
Priority date	Nov 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 6, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fluid flow field plate for an electrochemical fuel cell comprises an electrically conductive plate element having a peripheral edge encapsulated in an electrically insulating gasket material. The plate element has a laterally projecting tab with a first face covered by the peripheral gasket material and a second face at least partially exposed through the gasket material. One or more edges of the laterally projecting tab may thereby be covered and protected by the peripheral gasket material and the gasket material of multiple stacked plates may together define a housing structure for a plurality of connection tabs also serving as a receptacle for receiving a connector module. A fuel cell stack assembly may have a layered construction including electrically conductive fluid flow field plates at least partially separated by gasket layers. The gasket layers each have at least one exposed edge that together define an open face of the stack assembly. The gasket layers each define a recess in the exposed edge. Each recess is configured to receive an electrical connector for making electrical connection to the respective electrically conductive fluid flow plate adjacent to the recess.

First claim

1 . A fluid flow field plate for an electrochemical fuel cell comprising an electrically conductive plate element having a peripheral edge encapsulated in an electrically insulating gasket material, the plate element having a laterally projecting tab with a first face covered by the peripheral gasket material and a second face at least partially exposed through the gasket material.

2 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 in which at least one edge of the laterally projecting tab is covered by the peripheral gasket material.

3 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 in which at least two edges of the laterally projecting tab are covered by the peripheral gasket material.

4 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 in which the leading edge of the laterally projecting tab is covered by the peripheral gasket material.

5 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 in which the gasket material defines a retention feature for retaining an electrical connector coupled to the laterally projecting tab.

6 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 5 in which the retention feature comprises a barb on an exposed surface of the gasket material extending over the laterally projecting tab.

7 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 5 in which the retention feature comprises a ribbed exposed surface of the gasket material overlying the first face.

8 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 comprising a bipolar plate having fluid distribution channels in both faces of the electrically conductive plate element.

9 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 in which the electrically insulating gasket material extends around the complete periphery of the electrically conductive plate element, and defines fluid distribution channels in the gasket material on at least one peripheral edge of the plate element and defines a protective structure for the laterally projecting tab on at least one different peripheral edge of the plate element.

10 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 further including fluid coolant flow channels defined in the first face of the laterally projecting tab and I or in the gasket material covering the first face of the laterally projecting tab.

11 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 1 in which the laterally projecting tab defines a retention feature for retaining an electrical connector coupled to the laterally projecting tab.

12 . The fluid flow field plate of claim 11 in which the retention feature comprises contoured or profiled exposed surface of the laterally projecting tab.

13 . A fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of layers, at least some of said layers each comprising a fluid flow field plate according to claim 1 , thereby defining a plurality of electrically conductive connection tabs extending outwardly from at least one face of the stack, each electrically conductive connection tab being protected on plural edges by the gasket material of the plurality of layers, the gasket material collectively defining a housing structure for the plurality of connection tabs.

14 . The fuel cell stack of claim 13 in which the housing structure comprises two end walls protecting edges of the connection tabs and defining a receptacle therebetween for receiving an electrical connector module.

15 . The fuel cell stack of claim 13 further including an electrical connector module configured to engage with the plural electrically conductive connection tabs and the gasket material for separate electrical connection to each of the tabs.

16 . The fuel cell stack of claim 15 in which the electrical connector module engages with retention features disposed on the gasket material.

17 . The fuel cell stack of claim 16 in which the retention features comprise one or more of a barb or barbs on the housing structure and ribbed exposed surfaces of the gasket material of the housing structure.

18 . The fuel cell stack of claim 15 in which the width of the electrical connector module is substantially less than the width of the electrically conductive connection tabs such that the electrical connector module can be engaged with the tabs at a number of different positions along a peripheral edge of the stack and/or such that multiple such electrical connector modules could be engaged with tabs of the stack simultaneously at different positions along the peripheral edge of the stack.

19 . The fuel cell stack of claim 15 in which the electrical connector module comprises a plurality of blades spaced from one another with a pitch that is equal to or an integer multiple of the pitch of the plates in the stack, each blade comprising a spring metal component for engagement with the second face of a laterally projecting tab and for simultaneous engagement with the gasket material covering the first face of an opposing, adjacent laterally projecting tab.

20 - 29 . (canceled)

30 . A method of making electrical connections to flow field plates of a fuel cell stack comprising:
forming a plurality of fluid flow field plates each comprising an electrically conductive plate element having a peripheral edge encapsulated in an electrically insulating gasket material, the plate element having a laterally projecting tab with a first face covered by the peripheral gasket material and a second face at least partially exposed through the gasket material; stacking the fluid flow field plates together to form a fuel cell stack with aligned laterally projecting tabs, such that the gasket material defines a housing for said tabs.

31 . The method of claim 30 further comprising:
connecting an electrical connector module to said tabs by engagement into a receptacle defined by the housing, wherein the engagement of the electrical connector module is with the tabs and the gasket material.

32 - 33 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Intelligent Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Hood Peter David

Classifications

• H01M8/0258

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

• H01M8/0247 Primary

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

• H01M8/2465

  Details of groupings of fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04552

  of the individual fuel cell · CPC title