Bipolar plate for an electrochemical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025167256-A1
Application number	US-202418954330-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2024
Priority date	Nov 21, 2023
Publication date	May 22, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a bipolar plate for an electrochemical system and an electrochemical system comprising at least one such bipolar plate. The bipolar plate comprises a first separator plate and a second separator plate, which are arranged on top of each other. At least one of the separator plates has, on the side that faces the other separator plate, only partially coated surface areas, which are provided with a coating that increases the electrical conductivity.

First claim

1 . A bipolar plate for an electrochemical system, having a first separator plate ( 2 a ) and a second separator plate that are arranged one on top of the other, wherein
the first separator plate has, on a side that faces away from the second separator plate, embossed webs and channels for guiding a first fluid; the second separator plate has, on a side that faces away from the first separator plate, embossed webs and channels for guiding a second fluid; the first and second separator plates each have webs and channels on mutually facing sides for guiding a cooling medium along an inner side of the bipolar plate;
wherein at least one of the first separator plate and the second separator plate has, on the side that faces the other separator plate, coated surface regions only in sections, wherein the coated surface regions are provided with a coating that increases an electrical conductivity.

2 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein a proportion of the coated surface regions on an entire surface is distributed heterogeneously over said entire surface.

3 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the proportion of the coated surface regions is formed on the side of the first separator plate that faces the second separator plate and/or wherein the proportion of the coated surface regions is formed on the side of the second separator plate that faces the first separator plate.

4 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the first separator plate has a first electrochemically active region and the second separator plate has a second electrochemically active region, wherein the first electrochemically active region and the second electrochemically active region overlap each other and form an active region of the bipolar plate in an overlapping region, wherein the coated surface regions in the active region are located on at least one side of at least one of the first separator plate and the second separator plate.

5 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the coated surface regions are formed in a region of web surfaces of one or both of the first separator plate and the second separator plate.

6 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the first separator plate and/or the second separator plate form at least one contact surface between them, wherein the coated surface regions are formed in the at least one contact surface.

7 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the coated surface regions are formed in regions between web surfaces and/or in regions between contact surfaces of the first separator plate and/or the second separator plate.

8 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the first separator plate has a first region, a second region and a third region in an electrochemically active region of at least one of its sides,
wherein the coated surface regions are distributed in such a way that a first proportion of the coated surface regions in the first region over an entire surface of the first region is smaller than a second proportion of the coated surface regions in the second region over an entire surface of the second region and/or a third proportion of the coated surface regions in the third region over an entire surface of said third region is smaller than the second proportion and/or the first proportion.

9 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the second separator plate has a first region, a second region and a third region in an electrochemically active region of at least one of its sides,
wherein the coated surface regions are distributed such that a first proportion of the coated surface regions in the first region over an entire surface of the first region is smaller than a second proportion of the coated surface regions in the second region over an entire surface of the second region and/or a third proportion of the coated surface regions in the third region over an entire surface of said third region is smaller than the second proportion and/or the first proportion.

10 . The bipolar plate according to claim 8 , wherein a first ratio of the first proportion and the second proportion is less than 0.9,
and/or
wherein a second ratio of the third proportion to the second proportion is less than 0.9.

11 . The bipolar plate according to claim 8 ,
wherein at least the side of the first separator plate that faces the second separator plate is configured such that a proportion of the coated surface regions of the entire surface of the first region and/or the second region and/or the third region of the electrochemically active region differ from one another by more than 5%.

12 . The bipolar plate according to claim 9 ,
wherein at least the side of the second separator plate that faces the first separator plate is configured such that a proportion of coated surface regions of the entire surface of the first region and/or the second region and/or the third region of the electrochemically active region differ from one another by more than 5%.

13 . The bipolar plate according to claim 11 , wherein only the second region has the coated surface regions.

14 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the bipolar plate is adapted to be operated at a certain operating point of an electrochemical system, wherein the certain operating point comprises a certain concentration gradient of the first fluid along a first electrochemically active region,
wherein the coating is adapted to the certain concentration gradient of the first fluid, so that a proportion of the coated surface regions in sections of the first electrochemically active region with comparatively low concentration of the first fluid is greater than a proportion of the coated surface regions in sections of the first electrochemically active region with comparatively high concentration of the first fluid.

15 . The bipolar plate according to claim 4 , wherein the first separator plate comprises a first inlet opening for feeding of the first fluid and a first outlet opening for discharge of the first fluid,
wherein the first inlet opening is fluidically connected to the first electrochemically active region via a first inlet region, and the first outlet opening is fluidically connected to the first electrochemically active region via a first outlet region, so that the first fluid can be conducted successively through the first inlet region, the first electrochemically active region and the first outlet region.

16 . The bipolar plate according to claim 10 , wherein the second region is arranged closer to an outlet opening than the first region and the third region.

17 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , configured in such a way that a flow direction of the first fluid is opposite to a flow direction of the second fluid, wherein a proportion of the coated surface regions of at least the side of the first separator plate that faces the second separator plate and/or the side of the second separator plate that faces the first separator plate increases at least in sections along the flow direction of the first fluid.

18 . The bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first separator plate and the second separator plate of the bipolar plate comprises a stainless steel or a titanium alloy in sections or over its entire area.

19 . Bipolar plate according to claim 1 , wherein the coating contains one or more of the following substances: electrically conductive materials, carbon, electrically conductive carbon layers, metal nitrides, metal

Assignees

• Reinz Dichtungs Gmbh

Inventors

• Speidel André
• Wenzel Stephan
• Gaugler Bernd

Classifications

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• C25B15/08

  Supplying or removing reactants or electrolytes; Regeneration of electrolytes · CPC title

• C25B9/75

  having bipolar electrodes · CPC title

• C25B9/65

  Means for supplying current; Electrode connections; Electric inter-cell connections · CPC title

• H01M8/021

  Alloys based on iron · CPC title