US 12,469,856 B2
Bipolar plate having duct divisions present in the active region, and a fuel cell stack
Oliver Keitsch, Heilbronn (DE); Fabian Lippl, Mannheim (DE); Armin Siebel, Neckarsulm (DE); and Sebastian Voigt, Heilbronn (DE)
Assigned to AUDI AG, Ingolstadt (DE)
Appl. No. 18/042,990
Filed by AUDI AG, Ingolstadt (DE)
PCT Filed Jan. 5, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/050114
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 24, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/148761, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 14, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 100 186.2 (DE), filed on Jan. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0378484 A1, Nov. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. H01M 8/0258 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 8/0258 (2013.01) 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A bipolar plate for a fuel cell, comprising:
a first reactant flow field on a first plate side, and
a second reactant flow field on a second plate side, situated opposite the first plate side,
wherein the flow fields comprise multiple flow ducts bounded by webs in an active region for one of the two reactants taking part in a fuel cell reaction,
wherein each time the active region at the inlet side is fluidically connected via a distribution region running outside of the active region to an inlet-side media port for one of the two reactants, extending from the first plate side to the second plate side, and wherein each time the active region the outlet side is fluidically connected via a collection region running outside the active region an outlet-side media port extending from the first plate side to the second plate side, and
wherein at least one of the flow fields is formed with webs at the inlet side in its active region, which have a bearing surface for a neighboring layer of the fuel cell which is larger than a bearing surface of the outlet-side webs, resulting from a duct division at least some of the flow ducts which is present in the active region.