Leakproofing device for fuel cell, unit and fuel cell comprising such a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9601786-B2
Application number	US-201314433254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Oct 3, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

Leakproofing device for a fuel cell intended to be interposed between an Electrodes Membrane Assembly and a polar or bipolar plate of a fuel cell unit, the device consisting of a rigid frame and of a leakproofing seal integral with the frame, the frame furnished with the leakproofing seal defining a plurality of apertures through the device, the apertures being delimited by the leakproofing seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elementary cell of a fuel-cell stack, comprising two polar or bipolar stack plates sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly and two sealing devices each one of which is placed on an opposing side of the membrane electrode assembly and facing a corresponding plate in order to ensure reactive-fluid circuits are sealably separated in the cell and to ensure a set spacing within the cell, wherein:
each sealing device comprises a rigid frame and a sealing bead securely fastened to the frame;
the frame is equipped with the sealing bead defining a plurality of apertures through the device;
the apertures are bounded by the sealing bead;
the frame of each sealing device comprises centering holes and centering pins, the centering pins of one of the sealing devices interacting with centering holes formed in the other sealing device through orifices formed through the membrane electrode assembly in order to ensure the membrane electrode assembly is centered with respect to the plates; and
at least one portion of an edge bounding at least one aperture consists only of a sealing bead.

2. The cell of claim 1 , wherein the two sealing devices are of identical structure.

3. The cell of claim 1 , wherein the two sealing devices are securely fastened via a pliable flexible joint.

4. The cell of claim 1 , wherein the two sealing devices are securely fastened via a demountable joint.

5. The cell of claim 1 , wherein peripheries of the facing plates each contain a notch level with a border of the MEA.

6. The cell of claim 5 , wherein the notch is a bevel.

7. The cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pins is received into a corresponding housing in the plates of the cell.

8. The cell of claim 1 , wherein each sealing device comprises two pins and two centering holes.

9. The cell of claim 1 , wherein, in a plane of the frame and relative to a center of the frame, each pin is placed symmetrically to a centering hole.

10. A proton exchange membrane fuel-cell stack comprising a stack of a plurality of the elementary cells of claim 9 .

11. The cell of claim 1 , wherein the frame further comprises clamping holes provided for the passage of a clamping system.

12. The cell of claim 11 , wherein the clamping system comprises tie rods.

13. The cell of claim 1 , wherein:
the sealing device comprises sealing bead portions on either side of a plane defined by the frame; and
in cross section through a plane perpendicular to the plane of the frame, the frame is located between ends of the sealing bead that are located on either side of the plane of the frame.

14. The elementary cell of a fuel-cell stack of claim 1 , wherein said cell comprises two polar stack plates, using at least one sealing device positioned between the two faces of the plates dedicated to cooling.

15. An elementary cell of a fuel-cell stack, comprising two polar or bipolar stack plates sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly and two sealing devices each one of which is placed on an opposing side of the membrane electrode assembly and facing a corresponding plate in order to ensure reactive-fluid circuits are sealably separated in the cell and to ensure a set spacing within the cell, wherein:
each sealing device comprises a rigid frame and a sealing bead securely fastened to the frame;
the frame is equipped with the sealing bead defining a plurality of apertures through the device;
the apertures are bounded by the sealing bead;

the frame of each sealing device comprises centering holes and centering pins, the centering pins of one of the sealing devices interacting with centering holes formed in the other sealing device through orifices formed through the membrane electrode assembly in order to ensure the membrane electrode assembly is centered with respect to the plates; and
the sealing device comprises a plurality of peripheral apertures formed around a central aperture, the central aperture being intended to be superposed on an active area of a membrane electrode assembly, at least one portion of the border bounding the central aperture being common to the respective borders of the peripheral apertures, and in that the portions of the borders common to the central aperture and to the peripheral apertures consist only of a sealing bead.

16. The cell of claim 15 , wherein the sealing device comprises at least one pair of adjacent peripheral apertures placed along two adjacent and perpendicular edges of the frame, respectively, the two adjacent peripheral apertures comprising a common portion that is not common to the central aperture and that consists only of a sealing bead, the sealing bead, without the frame, being T-shaped level with said two adjacent peripheral apertures.

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• L'Air Liquide Société Anonyme Pour L'Étude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude

Inventors

• Cerceau Arnaud
• Guinebert Alain
• Jannin Nicolas
• Rossinot Elisabeth
• Trouve Helene
• Sirac Denis

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/0284

  Organic resins; Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M8/2405

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title