Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Audi Ag

Kazuki Amemiya

Paravastu Badrinarayanan

A fuel cell includes an electrode assembly having an electrolyte between an anode and a cathode for generating an electric current and byproduct water. A porous plate is located adjacent to the electrode and includes reactant gas channels for delivering a reactant gas to the electrode assembly. A separator plate is located adjacent the porous plate such that the porous plate is between the electrode assembly and the separator plate. The separator plate includes a reactant gas inlet manifold and a reactant gas outlet manifold in fluid connection with the reactant gas channels, and a purge manifold in fluid connection with the porous plate such that limiting flow of the reactant gas from the reactant gas outlet manifold and opening the purge manifold under a pressure of the reactant gas in the reactant gas channels drives the byproduct water toward the purge manifold for removal from the fuel cell.

Fuel cell with purge manifold

A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cell modules. Each of the fuel cell modules has a first membrane electrode assembly and a second membrane electrode assembly respectively having an electrolyte membrane and being arranged, such that respective first electrodes are opposed to each other. The fuel cell module also has a first reactive gas flow path arranged to supply a first reactive gas to the first electrodes included in the first membrane electrode assembly and the second membrane electrode assembly, a second reactive gas flow path arranged to supply a second reactive gas to the second electrodes included in the first membrane electrode assembly and the second membrane electrode assembly, and a coolant flow path arranged to cool down the second electrodes included in the first membrane electrode assembly and the second membrane electrode assembly. The fuel cell stack does not have a coolant flow path for cooling down the first electrodes, but has a first flow path-forming member located between the first membrane electrode assembly and the second membrane electrode assembly to define the first reactive gas flow path.

Fuel cell stack

A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), at least one separator plate disposed on a first side of the MEA, and at least one separator plate disposed on a second side of the MEA. The separator plate on the first side of the MEA may form a first group of channels for conducting a first reactant. The separator plate disposed on the second side of the MEA may form a second group of channels for conducting a second reactant. The first group of channels include a first set and a second set of channels alternatively positioned. Each of the first set of channels is positioned adjacent to a channel of the second set. Each of the two sets of channels includes an input controlled by an input valve and an output controlled by an output valve. The first group of channels forms an interdigitated flow field by closing the input valve of one of the two sets of channels and closing the output valve of the other of the two sets of channels, and forms a conventional flow field by opening both the input valve and the output valve.

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Somers, CT, United States of America

Kazuki Amemiya