US 11,870,121 B2
Fuel cell column including stress mitigation structures
Michael Gasda, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Robert Hintz, San Jose, CA (US); Karanpal Bhangu, Manteca, CA (US); Siddharth Patel, Menlo Park, CA (US); Harald Herchen, Los Altos, CA (US); Victor Silva, Denver, CO (US); Thuy Thanh Muhl, San Jose, CA (US); Tyler Dawson, Sunnyvale, CA (US); David Edmonston, Soquel, CA (US); and Tad Armstrong, Burlingame, CA (US)
Assigned to BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/054,377.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/365,163, filed on May 23, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/278,486, filed on Nov. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0155157 A1, May 18, 2023
Int. Cl. H01M 8/00 (2016.01); H01M 8/2483 (2016.01); H01M 8/021 (2016.01); H01M 8/0258 (2016.01); H01M 8/0282 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/2483 (2016.02) [H01M 8/021 (2013.01); H01M 8/0258 (2013.01); H01M 8/0282 (2013.01); Y02E 60/50 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fuel cell column, comprising:
a stack of alternating fuel cells and interconnects, wherein the interconnects separate adjacent fuel cells in the stack and contain fuel and air channels which are configured to provide respective fuel and air to the fuel cells;
a manifold plate comprising a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole located in a bottom surface of the manifold plate, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the manifold plate, outlet channels that extend inside of the manifold plate to fluidly connect the top inlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels that extend inside of the manifold plate to fluidly connect the top outlet holes to the bottom outlet hole; and
a mitigation structure configured to reduce stress applied to the stack due to at least one of a shape mismatch or coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the stack and the manifold plate.