Volkswagen Ag

Audi Ag

Ballard Power Systems Corporation

Ian Stewart

Darcy McGowan

Matej Kusy

Emerson Richard Gallagher

Christian Martin Zillich

Brian Walter Dickson

Peter Bach

Torsten Schwarz

Andrew Desouza

Bevan Hoskyn Moss

Amy Warkentin

Campbell Perry

Tegan Harrower

Emerson Gallagher

Darcy Mcgowan

Thomas Harrower

The present invention relates to a method for determining the compressive tensile force acting on a fuel cell stack due to at least one tensioning element. Thereby, the compressive tensile force is the overall tensile force compressing the fuel cell stack. This is determined according to the invention by means of acoustic measurements on vibratable sections of the tensioning elements. The subject matter of the invention also includes a data processing program for carrying out the method according to the invention along with the use of a smartphone for carrying out the method according to the invention.

Method for determining the compressive tensile force acting on a fuel cell stack

A fuel cell system comprises a clamping system for a fuel cell stack, the clamping system including a plurality of disc springs. The disc springs are connected together in a bonded and/or force-fitting manner on a plane perpendicular to an axis of rotational symmetry running through the center of the circle described by the disc.

Clamping system for fuel cell stack, and fuel cell system comprising such a clamping system

A bipolar plate seal assembly for a fuel cell is provided. The bipolar plate seal assembly includes: a bipolar plate having a flow field for a reactant medium on at least one of its main sides, and a supply area arranged adjacent to the flow field, in which supply ports for feeding and discharging the reactant medium and optionally for feeding and discharging a coolant are arranged; and at least one seal assembly having an electrically insulating layer covering at least one or more sections of the supply area of the bipolar plate and having recesses that correspond to the supply ports of the bipolar plate, and for each recess, a seal circumferential thereto.

Bipolar plate seal assembly and fuel cell stack with such a bipolar plate seal assembly

A sealed membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and a method of sealing the MEA comprises the steps of providing a frame around a periphery of the MEA to form a framed MEA; providing a through-hole in the frame; placing the framed MEA into a seal mold, the seal mold comprising a reservoir region, a seal bead region, and at least one runner region; feeding a flow-processable seal material into the reservoir region in the seal mold that is aligned with the throughhole in the frame; feeding the flow-processable seal material from the reservoir region to the seal bead region through the at least one runner region; wherein a hydraulic diameter of the at least one runner region is less than a hydraulic diameter of the reservoir region.

Seal for solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A seal () for a fuel cell (), which includes multiple bipolar plates () and at least one membrane electrode assembly (), the seal () having a seal body () surrounding a free inner chamber () is provided. It is provided that at least two flow barriers () pointing into the inner chamber () are formed as a single piece with the seal body (), the flow barriers () being situated at a distance from the seal body () by at least one connecting element ().

Seal for a fuel cell, and fuel cell

An electrical contact device for the diversion of electrical current from a fuel cell stack can have a plurality of electrically conductive contact regions which are delineated from each other. A plurality of electrically conductive first contact structures connects each, or a plurality of, the contact region(s) to an external load current circuit. Via at least one switching element arranged in a first contact structure, an electrically conductive connection may be disconnected by the first contact structure, in particular between at least one contact region and a load current circuit. In this way it is possible to adjust the overall resistance of the contact structure, and thus the Joule heat produced in the contact regions. Second contact structures that are arranged between the contact regions enable a further increased variability of the overall electrical resistance of the contact device.

Electrical contact device for a fuel cell stack

A bipolar plate () for a fuel cell, including a first half plate () having a first thickness () and a second half plate () having a second thickness (), the first half plate () and the second half plate () each being situated with one of their flat sides facing one another, and the first half plate () forming a first flow field () on its outer side for a first operating medium and the second half plate () forming a second flow field () on its outer side for a second operating medium is provided. It is provided that the first thickness () of the first half plate () is on average smaller, at least in sections, than the second thickness () of the second half plate ().

Bipolar plate having half plates of varying thickness and fuel cell stack having same

The invention relates to a bipolar plate () for a fuel cell (), comprising&#x2014;an internal coolant flow field (), which comprises a coolant channel (), and&#x2014;a first and a second flat side () with a first and second reactant flow field () respectively, which has at least one first and second channel structure () respectively, wherein&#x2014;the first and the second channel structure () each form a trunk channel () and branch channels (), wherein the branch channels () branch off in a branching region () from the respective trunk channel (), and a first intermediate region () is formed between the branch channels () of the first channel structure (), and a second intermediate region () is formed between the branch channels () of the second channel structure (), wherein normal projections of the first and second intermediate region () onto a center plane () of the bipolar plate (), which center plane is arranged between the two flat sides () of the bipolar plate (), partially overlap so that an overlapping region () is formed. It is provided that the coolant channel () extends from an outer region (), which is located outside the first and second intermediate region (), into the overlapping region (), crossing a transit region () in the process, wherein the transit region () is a subregion of the normal projection of the first intermediate region () onto the center plane, which projects from the overlapping region ().

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Vancouver, Canada

Ian Stewart