Hybrid bipolar plate for evaporatively cooled fuel cells

摘要

A fuel cell power plant (36) has vertical fuel cells (102) each sharing a half of a hybrid separator plate (100) which includes a solid fuel flow plate (105) having horizontal fuel flow channels (106) on one surface and coolant channels (108) on an upper portion of the opposite surface, bonded to a plain rear side of a porous, hydrophilic oxidant flow field plate (115) having vertical oxidant flow channels (118). Coolant permeates through the upper portion of the porous, hydrophilic oxidant flow field plates and enters the oxidant flow channels, where it evaporates as the water trickles downward through the oxidant flow field channels, thereby cooling the fuel cell.

主权项

1. A fuel cell power plant comprising:
a stack of vertically disposed fuel cells, at least one of the fuel cells including a membrane electrode assembly with an electrolyte having cathode and anode catalysts disposed on opposite sides thereof, the membrane electrode assembly being separated from another membrane electrode assembly adjacent thereto in said stack by a hybrid separator plate; the hybrid separators plate comprising a solid fuel flow field plate having horizontal fuel reactant gas flow channels that extend from one end of the fuel flow field plate to an opposing end of the fuel flow field plate in a horizontal direction and that extend inwardly from a first surface of the fuel flow field plate, and a porous and hydrophilic oxidant flow field plate having vertical oxidant flow channels that extend from one end of the oxidant flow field plate to an opposing end of the oxidant flow field plate in a vertical direction and that extend inwardly from a first surface of the oxidant flow field plate, a second surface of said oxidant flow field plate, opposite to said first surface thereof, bonded to a second surface of said fuel flow field plate which is opposite to said first surface thereof, to form said hybrid separator plate, there being horizontal water passageways that extend from one end of the hybrid separator plate to an opposing end of the hybrid separator plate in a horizontal direction adjacent said second surfaces of said plates.