FUEL CELL PLATE FLOW FIELD

• Main Authors: NIEZELSKI DAVID A, WHITON JOHN H, SCHAUB EDWARD GORDON, LOVE ROBERT A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 13.07.2011
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

A method of manufacturing a fuel cell flow field plate is disclosed in which a generally even flow distribution across the flow field is provided. The method includes providing an inlet manifold in fluid communication with the flow field. The flow field includes multiple channels for which some of the channels receive restricted flow from the inlet manifold as compared to other channels. A relative pressure drop between the channels is altered with a pressure drop feature to encourage fluid flow from the inlet manifold to the channels with restricted flow, which results in a generally even flow distribution across the flow field.