Bipolar Plates
“The bipolar plate is required to have sufficient conductivity to ensure electrical connection to an MEA adjacent thereto to allow the fuel cell to generate electric power more efficiently, and in addition thereto, it is also required to have sufficient mechanical strength to support the structure formed of unit cells stacked in layers. Furthermore, as there is a demand for fuel cells reduced in size, there is also a demand for bipolar plates reduced in thickness. Furthermore, there is also a demand for higher precision in thickness in order to reduce contact resistance between the unit cells stacked in layers.”
“Conventional fuel cell bipolar plates are formed of a material including resin and a carbon material, and introduced into a compression mold and pressurized and thus molded. Such fuel cell bipolar plates are formed in molds having a variety of structures, as conventionally proposed “
Recent US Patents
10/26/2010
7,820,336
Fuel cell bipolar plate, and fuel cell
Jiang and Harada of DIC Corporation, Japan developed a fuel cell bipolar plate with a front surface and a rear surface opposite to each other, flash and a receding portion. The flash is provided on the front surface at an outer peripheral portion of the bipolar plate and projects in a direction crossing the front surface. The receding portion is provided on the rear surface at an outer peripheral portion of the bipolar plate in a geometry capable of accommodating flash. (RDC 2/17/2011)
7,820,335
Plate for a fuel cell assembly
Budinski, Pettit and Chapman of GM, Michigan have developed a unitized plate such as a bipolar plate for a fuel cell. The unitized plate includes active regions electrically insulated from one another with inlet and outlet openings. (RDC 2/17/2011)
7,820,334
Fuel cell and oxidant distribution plate for fuel cell
Zeng and Kajio of Aisin Seiki and Toyota, Japandesigned a fuel cell and an oxidant distributing plate for the fuel cell. Water created in the fuel cell is used to humidify an oxidant gas and/or a fuel flowing in an opposite passage opposite to a MEA. (RDC 2/17/2011)
10/19/2010
7,816,050
Unit cell header flow enhancement
Farrington; Simon (Vancouver, CA), Mackie of Daimler, Germany developed a fluid flow field plate. (RDC 1/24/2011)