A FUEL CELL BIPOLAR PLATE FOR IMPROVED WATER MANAGEMENT AND TO ACHIEVE MORE UNIFORM CURRENT DENSITY IN POLYMER ELECTROLYTE MEMBRANE(PEM) FUEL CELLS

摘要

The present invention relates to fuel cell bipolar plate having multiple entry and a single exit for reactant gas flow adaptable to Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) and Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFC) comprising of a plurality of gas entry ports incorporated in each bi-polar plate and emanating from a rectangular pocket such that an internal rectangular cavity or manifold is created when several bi-polar plates are stacked one below the other wherein a membrane electrode assembly or a single cell member is sandwiched between every two bi-polar plates, the complete assembly, consisting of several bi-polar plates and individual cells, enclosed between a set of insulating plates and steel clamping plates at the top and the bottom and fastened by means of a plurality of tie rods, on all the four sides of rectangular plate and each bi- polar plate having multiple gas intake ports at the front end and a single gas exit port at the rear end and the first layer of grooves being used for supplying the first reactant gas and adjacent below grooves being used for supplying the second gas to the membrane electrode assembly which is sandwiched between every two such pairs of grooves contained in the adjacent bi-polar plates assembled in such a way that every consecutive two layers of gas manifolds are disposed at 180° opposite direction.