Patent ID: 7846593

Claim:
A method of in-plane fuel cell heat and water management comprising; a. providing a thermally and electrically conductive hydrophilic heat and mass transport element layer to said fuel cell, wherein said transport element layer spans from inside of said cell to an ambient environment outside of said cell; b. providing a current collector layer in said fuel cell, wherein said transport element layer transports electrical current to said current collector layer; and c. providing a gas diffusion layer in said fuel cell, wherein said transport element layer comprises at least one through slot and at least one transport rib, wherein said transport element layer is disposed between said gas diffusion layer on a cathodic side of said fuel cell and a bipolar plate, wherein said transport layer facilitates oxidant mass transport to said gas diffusion layer, wherein said bipolar plate comprises at least one gas channel and at least one current collecting rib, wherein said at least one transport rib aligns with said at least one current collecting rib, wherein said at least one through slot aligns with said at least one gas channel, wherein said transport element enables use of capillary forces to confine gas flow parallel to said at least one gas channel and receives liquid transport along a direction transverse to the direction of heat and mass transport of said hydrophilic heat and mass transport element, whereby heat is transported along said transport element layer from an interior portion of said transport element layer inside said cell to an exterior portion of said transport element layer disposed in said ambient environment outside said cell, and whereby liquid water is transported along said transport element layer into or out of said cell, whereas heat is removed from said exterior portion of said transport element layer in said ambient environment by any combination of radiation, free convection and forced convection, and whereas said liquid water is removed from said exterior portion of said transport element layer in said ambient environment by any combination of convection driven evaporation and advection, wherein said water is added to said cell from said exterior portion of said transport element layer in said ambient environment to said interior portion of said transport element layer by any combination of advection and capillary wicking.