Doosan Fuel Cell America, Inc.

Audi Ag

Hyaxiom, Inc.

Doosan Fuel Cell Americak, Inc.

Eric O'Brien

Timothy William Patterson, Jr

Kristoffer H Ridgeway

Chandrasekhar V Nori

Robert Mason Darling

Timothy W Patterson

Sridhar V Kanuri

William Bajorek

Eric Livaich

Kevin A Arpin

Donald Roy

Andrew Johnson

A fuel cell includes a fuel cell stack. A pressure plate is arranged on one side of the fuel cell stack. The pressure plate includes a hole, and a tie rod assembly has a tie rod received in the hole. A nut with a conical surface is secured to the tie rod. An isolator is arranged in the hole between the tie rod assembly and the pressure plate. The isolator has a conical portion, and the conical surface engages the conical portion to provide a conical interface. The tie rod assembly applies a clamp load on the fuel cell stack via the conical interface.

Fuel cell tie rod isolator

An illustrative example fuel cell manifold assembly includes a metal manifold pan. A polymer material liner that is self-supporting includes a primary wall situated adjacent an interior of the manifold pan. The liner has a channel around a periphery of the liner and a portion of the manifold is received in the channel. A reactant conduit adapter is received through respective openings in the manifold pan and the liner. The reactant conduit adaptor includes a flange that is received against an interior surface on the primary wall of the liner with an interface between the flange and the interior surface being sealed. Another portion of the reactant conduit adaptor is adjacent an exterior of the manifold pan that faces in an opposite direction from the interior surface on the primary wall.

Fuel cell manifold assembly including a self-supporting polymer material liner

An illustrative example embodiment of a fuel cell manifold device includes a self-supporting polymer material liner body including a generally planar primary wall and a plurality of side walls. The side walls respectively extend generally perpendicularly from the primary wall. Interior surfaces on the primary wall and the side walls collectively define a cavity. The primary wall has a length and a width that is smaller than the length. The primary wall includes a plurality of ribs situated width wise along the primary wall. The ribs are spaced apart from each other in a lengthwise direction. The ribs allow for some thermal expansion of the liner body.

An illustrative example fuel cell electrolyte management device includes a first component having a first density and a second component having a second density that is less than the first density. The first component has a first side including a pocket and a second side facing opposite the first side. The second side of the first component includes a first plurality of fluid flow channels. The second component has a porosity configured for storing electrolyte in the second component. The second component fits within the pocket. The second component has a first side received directly against the first side of the first component. The second component has a second side including a second plurality of fluid flow channels.

Fuel cell electrolyte management device

A flow field plate for use in a fuel cell includes a non-porous plate body having a flow field that extends between first and second ends of the non-porous plate body. The flow field includes a plurality of channels having channel inlets and channel outlets, a fluid inlet portion that diverges from the first end to the channel inlets, and a fluid outlet portion that converges from the channel outlets to the second end. A fuel cell including the flow field plate includes an electrode assembly having an electrolyte between an anode catalyst and a cathode catalyst. The flow field of the flow field plate is side by side with the electrode assembly. A method of processing a flow field plate includes forming the flow field in a non-porous plate body.

Fuel cell and flow field plate for fluid distribution

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Tolland, CT, United States of America

Eric O'Brien