Patent ID: 9601786
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: H01M,Y02E

Claim:
1. An elementary cell of a fuel-cell stack, comprising two polar or bipolar stack plates sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly and two sealing devices each one of which is placed on an opposing side of the membrane electrode assembly and facing a corresponding plate in order to ensure reactive-fluid circuits are sealably separated in the cell and to ensure a set spacing within the cell, wherein: each sealing device comprises a rigid frame and a sealing bead securely fastened to the frame; the frame is equipped with the sealing bead defining a plurality of apertures through the device; the apertures are bounded by the sealing bead; the frame of each sealing device comprises centering holes and centering pins, the centering pins of one of the sealing devices interacting with centering holes formed in the other sealing device through orifices formed through the membrane electrode assembly in order to ensure the membrane electrode assembly is centered with respect to the plates; and at least one portion of an edge bounding at least one aperture consists only of a sealing bead.