Sulzer Brothers Limited

Escher Wyss Limited

Gebrueder Sulzer Aktiengesellschaft

Bruno Barp

Roland Diethelm

Herbert Holik

Joseph Brun

The module for a fuel cell battery comprises an electrochemically active plate which, on the one hand, consists of an oxide-ion-conducting solid electrolyte and, on the other hand, two electrode layers applied to both sides of the electrolyte layer. At least one of the electrode layers is electrically conductively and nondetachably connected to a supporting and electron conduction structure via a plurality of regularly disposed contact elements.

Module for a fuel cell battery

A centrally symmetrical fuel cell battery is made of stacked modules each of which has an electrochemical active plate made of one oxide ion conducting solid electrolyte and two electrodes, a gas impervious wall between an air chamber and a fuel chamber, an air conduit from at least one peripheral intake location to a center of the module where the air comes in contact with the electrochemically active plates, and a central supply point for a gaseous fuel. Unlike prior art fuel cell batteries of this type which require seal rings, the fuel cell battery of this application requires no seal rings. The electrochemically active plates are continuous, and supply conduits for the fuel are provided for directing the fuel to each module from at least one intake on the periphery of the module to a central supply point of the module.

Centrally symmetrical fuel cell battery

The fuel cell battery has cells connected in series and is comprised an axially symmetrical stack of gas and air feed members and electrochemically active plates arranged alternately. Each feed member has an air heat exchanger in which the supplied air is heated. Gas and air may be made to flow in parallel on both ides of the electrochemically active plates. For each feed member, only one sealing ring is required to separate the air and gas spaces. The fuel cell battery has the advantage that induced stresses due to thermal expansion are small.

Gas and air feed member for a feed cell battery and a fuel cell battery

The internal ribs of the drying cylinders are formed with cross-sections which are of parabolic shape or substantially parabolic shape in order to obviate any additional thermal stressing of the cylinder. The rib cross-sections are each situated in a zone bounded outwardly by a hexagon which consists of a rectangle of full rib width and a height equal to 0.75 times the rib height and an adjoining trapezium having a width 0.65 times the maximum rib width at the top of the rib and inwardly by a pentagon of a width of 0.7 times the full width at mid-height of the rib and an apex at the maximum height of the rib.

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Rudolfstetten, Switzerland

Bruno Barp