Ford Motor Company Limited

Daimler Ag

Creo, LLC

Andrew L Christie

Herwig Haas

Lon William McIlwraith

Simon Farrington

Christopher J Richards

A plurality of flow field plate assemblies forms a fuel cell stack. Each flow field plate assembly has a first flow field plate positionable on an anode side of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a first fuel cell, a second flow field plate positionable on a cathode side of an MEA of a second fuel cell, adjacent the first fuel cell. At least one back-feed channel is interposed between the first and second flow field plates. At least a portion of the back-feed channel or a reactant manifold opening formed by the first and second flow field plates has a geometry that forms regions of high and low capillary forces, promoting liquid migration toward regions substantially isolated from a flow of reactants, to prevent water collection and ice formation. The migrated liquid is purged during a purge of the fuel cell stack after operation.

Apparatus and method for managing fluids in a fuel cell stack

The present invention provides a method for the quiet, contactless handling of objects using pickup devices of the Bernoulli type. The method is particularly suitable for the contactless handling of items much larger than an individual pickup, for example the handling of lithographic printing plates. According to the method of the present invention, a flow of fluid is established between the pickup face of the Bernoulli pickup and the surface of the object to be supported. The fluid is made to flow over a laminar flow surface at a velocity sufficient to produce a pressure differential between the flowing fluid and a surrounding fluid medium. Bernoulli lift is maximized by making the laminar flow surface as smooth and protrusion&uacute;free as possible, and by ensuring that the location and extent of the laminar flow surface substantially coincides with the maximal lateral limits of the low-pressure zone between the pickup face and the opposing object surface. As the pickup fluid flows beyond the periphery of the laminar flow surface, it flows over a vibration&uacute;attenuating surface, reducing unwanted vibrations in the object.

Contactless handling of objects

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, Canada

Andrew L Christie