Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideaki Kikuchi

Narutoshi Sugita

Masaharu Suzuki

Yosuke Fujii

Naoyuki Enjoji

Seiji Sugiura

Yoshinori Wariishi

Masahiko Sato

Masaru Oda

Keisuke Andou

Yoshihiro Nakanishi

Tadashi Nishiyama

Toshiaki Ariyoshi

Yasuhiro Watanabe

Kentaro Nagoshi

Ichiro Baba

Daisuke Wachi

Norimasa Kawagoe

Ken Takahashi

Masaaki Sakano

Yasunori Kotani

Masajiro Inoue

Go Morimoto

Ayumu Ishizuka

Hiroyuki Tanaka

Takayuki Ogawa

Hiromichi Yoshida

Takaki Nakagawa

Toshiya Wakahoi

Nobuaki Kimura

Katsuhiko Kohyama

Yoshihito Kimura

Mikihiko Kimura

Toshiki Kawamura

Satoshi Tanimoto

Takashi Kosaka

Yuichiro Kosaka

Shinya Kawachi

Teruyuki Otani

Takanori Monda

Takeshi Banba

A fuel cell stack includes stacked unit fuel cells provided between end holding members, each unit fuel cell having a membrane electrode assembly including an anode and a cathode. A pair of separators respectively contact the anode and the cathode, and respectively form reaction gas passages between one separator and the anode, and between the other separator and the cathode. For each reaction gas passage, a gas supply passage and a gas discharge passage are formed through the unit fuel cells and one end holding member so that they communicate with the reaction gas passage of each unit fuel cell, and a drainage passage is also formed through the unit fuel cells and one end holding member. An end of the drainage passage and an end of the gas discharge passage on the side of the other end holding member are joined to each other.

Fuel cell stack having gas discharge passage and drainage passage joined at one end of the stack

A fuel cell includes a plurality of fuel cell units, each fuel cell unit including an electrode assembly formed by disposing electrodes on both sides of an electrolyte, a pair of separators that sandwich the electrode assembly, and gas sealing members that are disposed at an outer peripheral portion of the electrode assembly, and that seal respective reaction gas flow passages that are formed between each separator and the electrode assembly. In one of the separators of each of the fuel cell units, a through path is formed that penetrates the separator in the thickness direction thereof, and the through path formed in one of the separators of one of the fuel cell units and the through path formed in one of the separators of adjacent one of the fuel cell units are offset with each other as viewed in the thickness direction of the separators.

Fuel cell and separator thereof

A fuel gas flow field is formed on a surface of a rectangular first metal separator. The fuel gas flow field includes flow grooves extending in the direction of gravity. An outlet buffer is provided at a lower end of the fuel gas flow field. The outlet buffer includes an inclined surface inclined toward a fuel gas discharge passage. The fuel gas discharge passage is positioned below the outlet buffer. Outlet channel grooves are formed by ridges provided between the fuel gas discharge passage and the outlet buffer. Lower ends of the ridges are arranged in a zigzag pattern.

Fuel cell

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, a gas liquid separator, a first drain channel, and a second drain channel. The gas liquid separator is connected to a fuel gas discharge passage of the fuel cell stack through a fuel gas discharge channel. The first drain channel is connected to the fuel gas discharge passage separately from the fuel gas discharge channel, and connected to the gas liquid separator through a valve unit. The second drain channel chiefly discharges liquid droplets from the gas liquid separator.

Fuel cell system

There is provided a coolant manifold that is installed to a fuel cell stack so as to distribute coolant through the fuel cell stack, which is constituted by stacking a plurality of unit cells and has more than one communication holes for coolant supply and at least one communication hole for coolant discharge, in which the coolant flows in an order from the communication holes for coolant supply through a plurality of the unit cells to the communication hole for coolant discharge. The coolant manifold includes a manifold body having a manifold chamber that extends along an alignment direction of the communication holes for coolant supply, and an external communication part having an external communication hole for communicating the manifold chamber with external. A center axis of the external communication hole is placed unparallel and non-vertical relative to a center axis of each communication hole for coolant supply.

Coolant manifold and methods for supplying and discharging coolant

A fuel cell stack having stacked unit fuel cells, each having a pair of separators between which a membrane electrode assembly is provided, which includes an anode and a cathode. Each separator has protruding lines arranged vertically in a zigzag manner, which protrude in a direction going away from the membrane electrode assembly. A space between the anode and the protruding lines of the separator facing the anode is used as a fuel gas passage. A space between the cathode and the protruding lines of the separator facing the cathode is used as an oxidant gas passage. At least part of the separators are each arranged in close contact with another separator so that a coolant passage through which a coolant flows horizontally is formed between both separators. A lower area of the coolant passage has a larger flow resistance than that of an upper area thereof.

Fuel cell stack having coolant passage whose lower area has larger flow resistance

A side plate of a casing includes bracket members and a surface member. Each of the bracket members includes three second coupling portions and a plate-shaped attachment portion provided integrally with the second coupling portions. A coupling pin is inserted into the second coupling portions. The surface member is joined to the plate-shaped attachment portion. The bracket member includes a step fitted to an end of the surface member. The plate-shaped attachment portion and the surface member are jointed at a spot welding section including spots in a zigzag pattern.

Fuel cell stack

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of power generation cells, and an ejector for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel cell stack. A flow rectifier for rectifying the flow of the fuel gas is provided at a portion of an insulating plate of the fuel cell stack connecting the ejector and the fuel gas supply passage. The flow rectifier includes an opening having a laterally elongated shape in correspondence with the bottom of the fuel gas supply passage having a laterally elongated shape, and a plurality of holes provided above the opening.

A fuel cell stack includes side plates of a casing. Flanges are provided on the side plates on the short sides for coupling the side plates on the short sides to the other side plates on the long sides. In each of the side plates, the center O of the coupling pin is offset from the neutral surface NS of the side plate in a direction away from a stack body by the distance 'h'.

A fuel cell includes a plurality of fuel cell units. Each fuel cell unit includes an electrode assembly having electrodes and an electrolyte, a pair of separators, and gas sealing members. At least two of the fuel cell units include at least two electrode assemblies and at least three separators. In each of the separators, reaction gas communication ports are provided. In one of the separators of one of the stacked fuel cell units that is located at the end in a direction of stacking, through paths are formed. In one of the separators of one of the stacked fuel cell units that is located at the other end in the direction of stacking, reaction gas communication paths are formed. Both the through paths and the reaction gas communication paths are formed in all separators that are located between two fuel cell units that are located at the ends.

This fuel cell stack includes: a coolant-supplying penetration hole and a coolant-discharging penetration hole each communicating with a coolant passage and each penetrates unit fuel cells in a stacking direction. A coolant-supplying penetration hole and a coolant-discharging penetration hole are arranged in a horizontal direction opposing with each other so as to sandwich a power generating region. The fuel cell stack further includes: an air draining penetration hole communicating with the coolant passage and arranged such that at least one part thereof is located at a higher position than an uppermost position of the coolant passage, and penetrates the unit fuel cells in the stacking direction; and a coolant draining penetration hole communicating with the coolant passage and arranged such that at least one part thereof is located at a lower position than a lowermost position of the coolant passage, and penetrates the unit fuel cells in the stacking direction.

In this fuel cell, among a pair of separators in which an electrically conductive portion which is made from an electrically conducting material is surrounded by an insulating portion which is made from an insulating material, a cell side terminal is provided in the inner surface of the insulating portion of at least one said separator, and extends from its interior circumferential side to its outer perimeter side, and is able to electrically connect the interior and exterior of the cell. This cell side terminal is made from a metallic plate, and its inner circumferential side end portion contacts the membrane electrode assembly, while its outer perimeter side end portion extends to the outer perimeter side of the insulating portion. This outer perimeter side end portion can be connected to a measurement side terminal.

Separator, fuel cell, and connection construction between cell voltage measurement device side terminal and fuel cell side terminal

A fuel cell stack () includes a first sub-stack (), a second sub-stack (), and a third sub-stack () disposed in the flow direction of an oxidizing gas. An intermediate plate () is interposed between the first and second sub-stacks (), and an intermediate plate () is interposed between the second and third sub-stacks (). In this fuel stack (), the flow of an oxidizing gas is set such that the oxidizing gas flows in series in the direction from the first sub-stack () to the third sub-stack (). Between the sub-stacks additional oxidizing gas supplies () are provided through which oxidizing gas of lower humidity than the humidity of the oxidizing gas entering the first sub-stack is supplied. This arrangement allows an efficient management of the humidity water content of the oxidizing gas with sufficient moisturizing of the solid polymer membrane whilst avoiding excessive condensation of water vapour within the stack.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack and operating method thereof

First and second fuel cell stacks having a simple and compact structure are connected in parallel to each other to enable ensuring a desired electric power generating performance. The first and second fuel cell stacks have the same structure and are arranged in parallel to each other with polarities thereof reversed. A manifold piping is mounted to one ends of the first and second fuel cell stacks. In order to supply an oxidizer gas, a fuel gas, and a coolant to the first and second fuel cell stacks, at least an oxidizer-gas supply pipe, a fuel-gas supply pipe, and a coolant supply pipe in the manifold piping are provided to be symmetrical with respect to the first and second fuel cell stacks.

The present invention provides a cell voltage measuring device for a fuel cell comprising: a contact region provided on or in a separator forming the fuel cell; and a terminal contacting the separator at the contact region to measure cell voltage of the fuel cell, wherein the contact region is defined by a groove formed in the outer periphery of the separator, and wherein, in a state in which the terminal is inserted into the groove and contacts the separator, the entire area of the cross-section of the terminal perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof at a contact point is disposed in the groove. Accordingly, contact between the terminal and the separator can be preferably retained.

Growing community of inventors

Kawachi-gun, Japan

Hideaki Kikuchi