Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Hideki Kubo

Takuya Hashimoto

Takashi Kondo

Hiroki Okabe

Seiji Mizuno

Hitoshi Hamada

Norishige Konno

Junichi Shirahama

Hironori Noto

Hiroya Nakaji

Atsushi Ida

Masahiro Shiozawa

Naohiro Takeshita

Osamu Hamanoi

Ikuyasu Kato

Koichiro Yamashita

Ryo Akagawa

Katsuya Matsuoka

Kazuo Horibe

A fuel cell is formed by laminating a plurality of power generating units. The power generating unit includes: a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; a sealing portion disposed along its outer circumference; a porous body flow path in which oxidant gas supplied to a cathode-side catalytic layer flows; a shielding plate provided between the sealing portion and the porous body flow path; and first, second separator plates configured to sandwich the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly and the porous body flow path therebetween. The shielding plate, the porous body flow path, and the first separator plate making contact with the porous body flow path project into the oxidant exhaust gas discharge manifold determined by the sealing portion.

Fuel cell

In a fuel cell, a cathode passage extends from an oxidizing gas supply hole to an oxidizing gas discharge hole. A turn interval at which a flow direction of an oxidizing gas returns to an original direction in an upstream-side passage region is different from the turn interval in a downstream-side passage region. A ratio between the turn interval in the upstream-side passage region and the turn interval in the downstream-side passage region is set to 1.1:1 to 3:1. The upstream-side passage region is overlapped with a most downstream-side passage portion of an anode passage with a membrane electrode assembly interposed between the upstream-side passage region and the most downstream-side passage portion.

The present invention reduces deterioration in the output of a fuel cell caused by a high moisture concentration at an oxidant electrode. A control apparatus for a fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane, an oxidant electrode provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane, and a fuel electrode provided on the other side of the electrolyte membrane, in which electric power is generated from an oxidant gas supplied to the oxidant electrode and a fuel gas supplied to the fuel electrode, wherein when the current-voltage characteristics of the fuel cell fall below a predetermined reference level, and the electrolyte membrane has not dried beyond a predetermined reference level, the control apparatus executes a control operation that increases the gas pressure at the oxidant electrode.

Fuel cell apparatus and fuel cell system

A fuel cell system determines whether an operation condition of a fuel cell corresponds to a fuel gas shortage or an oxidation gas shortage. Upon determining that the fuel gas is in shortage, the system sets a lower voltage limit to be higher than that set when the system determines that the oxidation gas is in shortage. The system further controls an output voltage from the fuel cell so as to prevent output voltage from the fuel cell from decreasing below the lower voltage limit.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell stack comprises a stack of three or more fuel cells, each having an assembly in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are respectively joined to either side of an electrolytic membrane. The anode electrode is provided nearer to one end, in the stack direction of the fuel cell, than the cathode electrode. Temperature regulating parts for regulating the temperature of the anode electrode of one fuel cell of any two adjacent fuel cells and the cathode electrode of the other fuel cell are disposed at a plurality of positions arranged in the stack direction. The provided temperature regulating parts perform temperature regulation so that the heat dissipating capability of the anode electrode is different in the stack direction from that of the cathode electrode.

Fuel cell stack

This invention provides a fuel cell system which can render the distribution of water in an electrolyte membrane even without lowing the pressure of a fuel system () comprises an electrolyte membrane (), an oxidant electrode provided on one side of the electrolyte membrane (), and a fuel electrode provided on the other side of the electrolyte membrane (). An oxidant gas flow passage () for supplying an oxidant gas along the face of the oxidant electrode and a fuel gas flow passage () for supplying a fuel has along the face of the fuel electrode are provided so that the flow direction of the oxidant gas faces the flow direction of the fuel gas. A control unit () conducts control so that, when the electrolyte membrane () is dry, the flow rate of the fuel gas which flows through the fuel gas flow passage () is increased.

Fuel cell with control unit for recirculating fuel

Growing community of inventors

Seto, Japan

Hideki Kubo