A fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; a frame member which surrounds the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; and a pair of separators with the frame member and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly sandwiched therebetween. The separators include a manifold hole through which a reaction gas is supplied or discharged. The frame member includes a manifold opening which communicates with the manifold hole, an in-plane opening in which the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly is disposed, a gas flow path which communicates with the in-plane opening and the manifold opening, a seal portion which is welded to the separators around the gas flow path, and an accommodation portion which is provided between the seal portion and the gas flow path to accommodate a material of the frame member caused to flow by welding.

A humidifier for transferring water vapour from a first gas stream to a second gas stream in a fuel cell system comprises a stack of thin plates having planar sealing surfaces at their edges, along which they are sealed together. A water permeable membranes is provided between each pair of plates in the stack. Each plate defines a gas flow passage along its top and bottom surfaces, with an inlet and outlet defined along edges of the plate, and a flow field extending between the inlet and outlet openings. Inlet and outlet passages connect the inlet and outlet openings to the flow field, and the planar sealing surfaces on both sides of the plate include bridging portions which extend across the inlet and outlet passages. Support structures such as ribs are provided throughout the flow field and the inlet and outlet passages to support the membrane and diffusion medium layer(s). The support structures may optionally be connected together by webs, and the webs are provided with holes to permit flow distribution between the top and bottom of each plate.

Membranes and methods of making and using the membranes are described herein. The membranes can include a foamed polymeric support and a plurality of inorganic particles disposed within the foamed polymeric support. The foamed polymeric support can contain a hydrophilic polymer such as polyethersulfone. The plurality of inorganic particles can include hydrophilic particles such as zeolite particles. In certain embodiments, the membrane can be used in humidifiers, such as those used in fuel cell systems. In some aspects, the membrane can be used for separating a fluid mixture comprising water. The membranes described herein are stable for high temperature applications.

A humidifier, a device including a fuel cell, and a motor vehicle. The humidifier of the includes at least one humidifying duct and is designed in such a way that a first gas to be humidified can be conducted in the humidifying duct in a direction of flow and, separated by a water-permeable material, past a humidifying second gas so that water is transferred from the second gas to the first gas. The humidifier includes a cross-sectional area of the humidifying duct available to the first gas tapers in the direction of flow. The fact that the cross-sectional area tapers results in a drop in pressure along the humidifying duct, and the drop in pressure reduces, compensates or overcompensates an increase in pressure resulting from the increasing humidification, so the partial difference in pressure between the first gas and the second gas remains large over the distance of the humidifying duct in spite of the transfer of humidity.

The present specification relates to an electrolyte membrane, a fuel cell including the same, a battery module including the fuel cell, and a method for manufacturing the electrolyte membrane.

A membrane humidifier assembly for fuel cell applications includes a first flow field plate adapted to facilitate flow of a first gas thereto, a second flow field plate adapted to facilitate flow of a second gas thereto, and a polymeric membrane disposed between the first flow field plate and second flow field plate. The polymeric membrane is adapted to permit transfer of water. In this regard, the polymeric membrane includes a porous polyolefin support and a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer layer disposed over the polyolefin support.

A humidifier having at least one water-permeable fabric layer, on the opposite sides of which a gas stream with higher and with lower moisture content is guided along. On the side of the gas stream with higher moisture content, a hydrophilic additional layer is positioned upstream of the fabric layer.

The disclosure relates to a body structure element for increasing the stiffness and/or the crash performance of a body structure of a vehicle, comprising a first channel for a first gas flow with a first gas feed line and a first gas discharge line and comprising means for introducing moisture into the first gas stream. The disclosure relates, in other words, to the functional integration of a humidifier for a fuel cell system into a body structure element and preferably the functional integration of a humidifier for a fuel cell system into crash performance increasing element, in particular, an extrusion profile, and a body structural element. The disclosure also relates to a fuel cell system with a humidifier integrated into a body structure element and a vehicle with such a fuel cell system and/or such a body structure element.

A fuel cell system that can prevent impurities from intensively collecting near inlets of fuel cells. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack formed by stacking fuel cells, each fuel cell having a power generation portion, a stack manifold with a fuel gas inlet communication hole disposed at an end of the fuel cell stack in the stacking direction of the fuel cells, a mixed gas supply channel communicating with the fuel gas inlet communication hole for supplying a mixed gas of a fuel gas and fuel off-gas to the fuel cell stack, a stirring mixer for swirling the mixed gas provided in the mixed gas supply channel, and a guide rib provided on the inner wall of the fuel gas inlet communication hole of the stack manifold, on the side opposite to the side of the power generation portions of the fuel cells.

A membrane assembly for a humidification device of a fuel cell system may include a membrane. The membrane may be permeable to water and impermeable to air. The membrane may extend in a flat form in a longitudinal direction and in a transverse direction that is transverse with respect to the longitudinal direction in an extent plane. The membrane may include in a height direction extending transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction and transversely with respect to the transverse direction a top side and a bottom side averted from the top side. The membrane may include an encircling outer margin in the extent plane. The outer margin may have an upper edge at the top side and a lower edge at the bottom side, between which an encircling face surface extends.