Patent ID: 9368810
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: H01M,Y02E

Claim Text:
1. An interconnect for a fuel cell stack, comprising: a plurality of ribs and channels on a first major surface of the interconnect defining a flow field for a reactant; and a plurality of raised surfaces on the first major surface located between an edge of the interconnect and the flow field, the raised surfaces being intermittently spaced to allow the reactant to flow between the raised surfaces and each of the raised surfaces has a width dimension that is at least twice as large as a width dimension of the ribs on the first major surface of the interconnect; wherein a first plurality of raised surfaces on the first major surface is located between a first edge of the interconnect and the flow field and a second plurality of raised surfaces on the first major surface is located between a second edge of the interconnect and the flow field, wherein the first edge defines an inlet for the reactant and the second edge defines an outlet for the reactant; wherein the reactant is a first reactant, and the fuel cell stack is externally manifolded for the first reactant and internally manifolded for a second reactant; and wherein a first group of the ribs are separated from the plurality of raised surfaces defining a gap between the ends of the first group of the ribs and an adjacent raised surface of the plurality raised surfaces, and a second group of the ribs is contiguous with the plurality of raised surfaces.