Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Battelle Memorial Institute

Dean Paxton

Karl Jacob Haltiner, Jr

Subhasish Mukerjee

Vincent L Sprenkle

Haskell Simpkins

Kerry D Meinhardt

Paul E George, Ii

Kenneth Scott Weil

Lawrence Andrew Chick

K Scott Weil

Kurtis P Recknagle

John E Deibler

Jr Karl J Haltiner

Kenneth S Weil

Subhasish 157 Mukerjee

An electrically-conductive mesh spacer incorporated into the hydrogen and air gas flow spaces between each anode and cathode and its adjacent interconnect in a fuel cell stack. The mesh is formed of metal strands and is formed into a predetermined three-dimensional pattern to make contact at a plurality of points on the surfaces of the electrode and the interconnect element. The formed mesh spacer is secured as by brazing to the interconnect element at a plurality of locations to form an interconnect, which preserves the pattern during assembly of a fuel cell stack. The height of the formed pattern is greater than the height of a gas flow space after fuel cell assembly, such that the mesh spacer is slightly compressed during assembly of a fuel cell stack. Because the metal mesh is both compliant and resilient, the compressed spacer is continuously urged into mechanical and electrical contact with its electrode over all temperatures and pressures to which the fuel cell assembly may be subjected during use.

Compliant current collector for fuel cell anode and cathode

A modular fuel cell cassette for use in assembling a fuel cell stack comprising a metal separator plate and a metal cell-mounting plate joined at their edges to form a hollow cassette. A fuel cell subassembly is attached to the mounting plate and extends through an opening in the mounting plate. The plates include openings to form chimney manifolds for supply and exhaust of fuel gas to the anode and air to the cathode. A conductive interconnect element extends from the fuel cell subassembly to make contact with the next cassette in a stack. The anode openings in the mounting plate and separator plate are separated by spacer rings such that the cassette is incompressible. A fuel cell stack comprises a plurality of cassettes, the mounting plate of one cassette being attached to, and insulated from, the separator plate of the next-adjacent cassette by a dielectric seal surrounding the interconnect.

Modular fuel cell cassette for forming a solid-oxide fuel cell stack

Growing community of inventors

Kennewick, WA, United States of America

Dean Paxton