Fuel cell and its bipolar plate

• US 5,616,431 A
• Filed: 01/25/1995
• Issued: 04/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kansai Electric Power Company Incorporated, Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yagi, Tetsuya, Okada, Tatsunori, Matsumura, Mitsuie, Mukai, Masahiro, Shinoki, Toshio, Kusunoki, Akira, Kikuoka, Yasuhira, Otsuki, Jitsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Maples, John S.
• Application Number:
  US08/379,319
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 429/36, 429/39
• US Class Current: 429/460
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/147 Fuel cells with molten carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0051 Carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0206 Metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0228 in the form of layered or coated products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0254 corrugated or undulated
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0271 Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04283 Supply means of electrolyte to or in matrix-fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2404 Processes or apparatus for grouping fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/244 with matrix-supported molten electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2457 with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2459 Comprising electrode layers with interposed electrolyte compartment with possible electrolyte supply or circulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2483 characterised by internal manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2484 characterised by external manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2485 Arrangements for sealing external manifolds; Arrangements for mounting external manifolds around a stack
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A bipolar plate is designed to provide a gas seal 16 around an electrode and gas seals 17a around fuel gas manifolds on the same plane and to separate the gas seal 16 and gas seals 17a around oxidant gas manifolds 4, 6 with hollowed parts on an anode electrode 25 side, and to provide the gas seal 16 and the gas seals 17b on a same plane and to separate the gas seal 16 and the gas seals 17a with hollowed parts on a cathode electrode 20 side.

Claims

1. In a molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type comprising:

a stack composed by laminating plural cells through a bipolar plate, each of said cells putting an electrolyte matrix between an anode electrode disposed on an anode electrode side of the bipolar plate and a cathode electrode disposed on a cathode electrode side of the bipolar plate and generating by flowing fuel gas and oxidant gas through a fuel gas channel opposed to said anode electrode and an oxidant gas channel opposed to said cathode electrode respectively;

a fuel gas supplying or exhausting manifold and an oxidant gas supplying or exhausting manifold for supplying or exhausting fuel gas or oxidant gas to said fuel gas channel or said oxidant gas channel respectively, said fuel gas supplying or exhausting manifold and said oxidant gas supplying or exhausting manifold being composed of a hole opened to an adjoining cell in said stack respectively; and

gas seals supplied around said electrodes and said manifolds between each layer;

the improvement wherein said bipolar plate is designed to provide said gas seal around said anode electrode and said gas seal around said fuel gas manifold on the same plane and to separate said gas seal around said cathode electrode and said gas seal around said oxidant gas manifold with a hollowed part on said anode electrode side, and to provide said gas seal around said cathode electrode and said gas seal around said oxidant gas manifold on the same plane and to separate said gas seal around said anode and said gas seal around said fuel gas manifold with a hollowed part on said cathode electrode side.

2. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 wherein the space of said hollowed part is opened to the outside atmosphere gas.

3. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 wherein said electrolyte matrix is separated to an electrode part matrix opposed to said electrode and said gas seal around said electrode and a manifold part matrix opposed to said gas seal around said manifold at said hollowed part.

4. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 3 which further comprises an electrolyte flowing mechanism in said hollowed part in order that the electrolyte stored in said electrode part matrix and the electrolyte held in said manifold part matrix can flow between both the matrix parts mutually.

5. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 which further comprises a spacer in said hollowed part in order that surface pressure may be impressed on said hollowed part through said spacer in the stacking direction.

6. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 5 wherein said spacer is at least one of an electrolyte matrix, a cathode electrode, a porous plate and a corrugated plate.

7. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 which further comprises electrolyte in the space of said hollowed part so as to supply said electrolyte to said electrolyte matrix.

8. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 wherein said bipolar plate is composed by joining one piece type soft frames on both surfaces of a flat plate-like bipolar plate substrate for separating fuel gas and oxidant gas in the stacking direction at a part opposed to said electrode, each of said one piece type soft frames being composed of one body installing all the gas seals around said electrode and around said manifolds for supplying or exhausting fuel gas or oxidant gas on it.

9. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 wherein said bipolar plate comprises:

a flat plate-like bipolar plate substrate for separating fuel gas and oxidant gas in the stacking direction at a part opposed to said electrode;

a frame-like one piece type soft frame for fuel gas composed of one body installing said gas seal around said electrode and said gas seal around said fuel gas manifold on it and a first frame-like soft frame for a manifold installing said gas seal around said oxidant gas manifold, said frame-like one piece type soft frame for fuel gas and said first frame-like soft frame for a manifold being respectively joined on the anode electrode side of said bipolar plate substrate; and

a frame-like one piece type soft frame for oxidant gas composed of one body installing said gas seal around said electrode and said gas seal around said oxidant gas manifold on it and a second frame-like soft frame for a manifold installing said gas seal around said fuel gas manifold, said frame-like one piece type soft frame for oxidant gas and said second frame-like soft frame for a manifold being respectively joined on the cathode electrode side of said bipolar plate substrate.

10. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 1 wherein said electrolyte matrix is arranged to be opposed to said electrodes and said gas seals supplied around said electrodes, and each of said gas seals around said manifolds is a manifold gasket material not containing electrolyte, said manifold gasket material being arranged opposingly.

11. The molten carbonate fuel cell of an internal manifold type according to claim 10 wherein said manifold gasket material comprises a porous gasket material and a wet sealing material changing into a liquid state at the operation temperature of said fuel cell to be stored in a vacant space in the inside of said porous gasket material.