KR-20260066840-A - SEPARATOR FOR FUEL CELL

KR20260066840AKR 20260066840 AKR20260066840 AKR 20260066840AKR-20260066840-A

Abstract

The present invention comprises an upper separator plate provided in close contact with an anode and a cathode, and a lower separator plate combined with the upper separator plate to form a cooling water flow path, and having a curved structure including a plurality of land portions in the same manner as the upper separator plate, wherein the upper land portion formed in the upper separator plate and the lower land portion formed in the lower separator plate each have a distribution flow path along a direction facing each other and are in communication with the cooling water flow path.

Inventors

최재현
서동규
이경태

Assignees

현대자동차주식회사
기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241105

Claims (13)

An upper separator plate provided in close contact with the anode and cathode; and A lower separator plate that is combined with the upper separator plate to form a cooling water channel and is formed with a curved structure including a plurality of land portions, identical to the upper separator plate; A fuel cell separator plate characterized in that the upper land portion formed on the upper separator plate and the lower land portion formed on the lower separator plate each have a distribution channel along a direction facing each other and communicate with the adjacent cooling water channel.
In Article 1, The above distribution euro is, A first distribution channel provided in the upper land portion and comprising a first channel communicating with the cooling water channel and a second channel having one side and the other side communicating with the first channel; and A separator for a fuel cell characterized by having a second distribution channel provided in the lower land portion and communicating with the first channel.
In Article 2, The above first distribution path is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized in that the above-mentioned second flow path is configured to partially communicate with the adjacent coolant flow path.
In Article 2, The above first distribution path is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by including a straight first flow path and a hemispherical second flow path having one side and the other side connected to the first flow path.
In Article 2, The above second Euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by including a first straight-shaped channel and a second triangular-shaped channel connected to the first channel on one side and the other side.
In Article 2, The above second Euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by including a first straight-shaped channel and a second rectangular-shaped channel having one side and the other side connected to the first channel.
In Article 2, The above-mentioned first Euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by being formed to face the second distribution channel.
In Article 2, The above-mentioned first Euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by being formed to partially face the second distribution channel.
In Article 8, The above-mentioned first Euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by being formed such that the gap with the second distribution channel is reduced in the central region that is not in communication with the other side of the second channel, as a result of being partially in communication with one side and the other side of the second channel.
In Article 1, The above distribution euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by having at least one along the longitudinal direction of the upper land portion and the lower land portion.
In Article 10, The above distribution euro is, A separator for a fuel cell, characterized by being provided between adjacent cooling water channels, and being provided on the same line as the adjacent distribution channel along the direction of gravity.
In Article 10, The above distribution euro is, A separator for a fuel cell, characterized by being provided between adjacent cooling water channels, and spaced diagonally apart from adjacent distribution channels along the direction of gravity.
In Article 1, The above distribution euro is, A separator for a fuel cell characterized by being formed at a location adjacent to a cooling water diffusion section into which cooling water is injected as it diffuses through the cooling water path.

Description

Separator for Fuel Cell The present invention relates to a separator plate for a fuel cell, and more specifically, to a separator plate for a fuel cell that facilitates the movement of cooling water in a plurality of flow paths and diffusion sections. Generally, fuel cells are a type of power generation device that converts the chemical energy contained in fuel into electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction within a stack. They can be used not only to supply power for industrial, residential, and vehicle use but also to power small electronic products such as portable devices, and their scope of application is gradually expanding as a high-efficiency clean energy source. Typically, a Membrane-Electrode Assembly (MEA) is located at the innermost part of a fuel cell stack. The MEA consists of a polymer electrolyte membrane capable of transporting hydrogen cations (protons) and catalyst layers coated on both sides of the electrolyte membrane to allow hydrogen and oxygen to react, namely the anode and cathode. In addition, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) is laminated on the outer part of the electrode assembly, that is, the outer part where the fuel electrode and air electrode are located; a separator plate with a flow path formed to supply fuel and discharge water generated by the reaction is positioned on the outer side of this gas diffusion layer with a gasket in between, and an end plate is attached to the outermost part to support and fix each of the above components. Accordingly, at the fuel electrode of the fuel cell stack, the oxidation reaction of hydrogen proceeds to generate hydrogen ions (protons) and electrons, and the generated hydrogen ions and electrons move to the air electrode through the electrolyte membrane and wires, respectively. At the air electrode, water is produced through an electrochemical reaction involving the hydrogen ions and electrons moved from the fuel electrode and oxygen in the air, while simultaneously generating electrical energy from the flow of electrons. Meanwhile, the separator is generally manufactured with a structure in which lands that serve as supports and channels (flow paths) that serve as fluid flow paths are repeatedly formed. That is, since a conventional separator has a structure in which lands and channels (flow paths) are repeatedly bent, one channel facing the gas diffusion layer is utilized as a space for a reaction gas such as hydrogen or air to flow, and at the same time, the other channel is utilized as a space for a cooling water to flow. Thus, a unit cell can be formed with a total of two separators, such as one separator having a hydrogen/cooling water channel and one separator having an air/cooling water channel. In the case of such conventional separator plates, since multiple flow paths are arranged symmetrically with respect to one another, it becomes difficult for the cooling water to move to nearby straight flow paths and diffusion sections after the initial inflow. Consequently, there is a problem in that a pressure difference may occur due to an increased deviation in the distribution of the cooling water in the flow paths and diffusion sections. FIG. 1 is a drawing for showing a separator for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing for showing a distribution path for a separator plate for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing for showing a first distribution path and a second distribution path for a separator plate for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4a to 4e are drawings for showing the movement path of cooling water for a separator plate for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 to 7 are drawings for showing other embodiments of the first distribution channel and the second distribution channel for a fuel cell separator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a drawing for showing the arrangement of distribution channels for a separator plate for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 9 and FIGS. 10 are drawings for showing a conventional separator for a fuel cell. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention and the method for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms, and these embodiments are provided merely to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. In addition, in describing the present inv