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Low hydrostatic head electrolyte addition to fuel cell stacks
| Details |
Inventors: Kothmann, Richard E.;
Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States (Washington, DC)
Primary Examiner: Walton; Donald L.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Otto; W. E., Dermer; Z. L.
A fuel cell and system for supply electrolyte, as well as fuel and an oxidant to a fuel cell stack having at least two fuel cells, each of the cells having a pair of spaced electrodes and a matrix sandwiched therebetween, fuel and oxidant paths associated with a bipolar plate separating each pair of adjacent fuel cells and an electrolyte fill path for adding electrolyte to the cells and wetting said matrices. Electrolyte is flowed through the fuel cell stack in a back and forth fashion in a path in each cell substantially parallel to one face of opposite faces of the bipolar plate exposed to one of the electrodes and the matrices to produce an overall head uniformly between cells due to frictional pressure drop in the path for each cell free of a large hydrostatic head to thereby avoid flooding of the electrodes. The bipolar plate is provided with channels forming paths for the flow of the fuel and oxidant on opposite faces thereof, and the fuel and the oxidant are flowed along a first side of the bipolar plate and a second side of the bipolar plate through channels formed into the opposite faces of the bipolar plate, the fuel flowing through channels formed into one of the opposite faces and the oxidant flowing through channels formed into the other of the opposite faces. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION Pursuant to the teachings of the invention, an electrolyte or acid channel arrangement is provided which permits the addition of electrolyte to the fuel cell stack with the electrodes in a horizontal plane.
For this purpose, the fuel cell stack is provided with electrolyte or acid channels with a small continuous flow of acid during wicking or re-wicking.
The acid path proceeds alternately from side to side of the plates or electrodes.
The matrix is preferably on the bottom side of the channel so that it will be wet even though the channel does not run full of acid.
The channel can also be on top of the matrix, and the cell can be operated "upside-down" so that wetting takes place by a combination of capillary action plus surface tension.
While it is preferred to have the matrix at the bottom of the acid channel arrangement, the fuel cell in accordance with the teachings of the invention can be manufactured with the matrix above the acid channel.
Also, when the fuel cell is made with the matrix above the acid channel, it is possible to operate the cell in what shall be defined as an upside-down condition.
For this purpose, the anode electrode, cathode electrode and matrix have a sandwich construction, and the designation anode and cathode for the electrode is based upon the fuel and oxidant feeds.
Specifically, the fuel is fed adjacent to the anode, and the oxidant is fed adjacent to the cathode.
While the electrodes can be specifically designed for optimum operation to operate as a cathode or an anode depending upon the alloying elements or metals from which they are constructed, the fuel cell can be reversed so that the anode performs the function of the cathode, and the cathode performs the function of the anode.
What controls the function of the electrode as either a cathode or an electrode is the pathway of fuel flow and oxidant flow.
The fuel always flows adjacent to the anode, and the air or oxidant always flows adjacent to the cathode.
Therefore, if the fuel cell is turned upside-down, and, for example, the fuel and oxidant paths are interchanged, then the electrode which formerly performed the function of a cathode performs the function of an anode, and the anode now performs the function of the cathode
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Fuel Cells 
