Federal-Mogul Develops New Gasket Technology to Assist in Fuel Cell Development

July 2, 2009 – Vol.14 No.15

Federal-Mogul Develops New Gasket Technology to Assist in Fuel Cell Development.

Federal-Mogul's patented Liquid Elastomer Molding (LEM(TM)) gaskets are constructed with small engineered elastomeric beads molded onto thin carriers that provide superior sealing performance while significantly reducing the size and weight of each fuel cell stack, compared to other molded sealing technologies, according to the company. Each LEM gasket can be 0.3-0.5 mm thick, whereas the conventional molded gasket measures at least double that.

Mass production of fuel cells has been hampered by issues such as size, cost, infrastructure and packaging. Federal-Mogul's LEM proprietary technology assists fuel cell manufacturers in overcoming some of these challenges. Currently, Federal-Mogul is working with a major Tier One supplier of fuel cells to deliver an innovative gasket design which addresses weight and packaging challenges.

A typical fuel cell stack is comprised of several hundred fuel cells; each cell contains an ion exchange membrane and bipolar plates. An electrochemical reaction takes place on the surface of these membranes to combine hydrogen with oxygen releasing electrical energy and water as a byproduct. As a result, each membrane must be sealed from the other layers and from the external environment. Each fuel cell stack requires hundreds of bipolar plates and membrane elements which need to be sealed, thereby requiring hundreds of gaskets, adding length and weight to each fuel cell stack. Additionally, the LEM technology offers the potential to directly incorporate the gasket into the bipolar plates offering further reduction in assembly complexity.

Gerard Chochoy, senior vice president, Federal-Mogul Powertrain Sealing and Bearings said, "Our sealing technology can contribute to a more optimized fuel cell package and reduced weight which can support fuel cell technology to become more widely accepted."

Federal-Mogul Corporation is a leading global supplier of powertrain, chassis and safety technologies, serving the world's foremost original equipment manufacturers of automotive, light commercial, heavy-duty, agricultural, marine, rail, off-road and industrial vehicles, as well as the worldwide aftermarket. (7/1/09)

Links:

Federal-Mogul Corporation
http://www.federalmogul.com/en

Disclaimer, Forward-Looking or Safe Harbor Statement on original press release: No