Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Hisaaki Gyoten

Kazuhito Hatoh

Teruhisa Kanbara

Makoto Uchida

Eiichi Yasumoto

Hideo Ohara

Yasushi Sugawara

Toshihiro Matsumoto

Kazufumi Nishida

Osamu Sakai

Junji Niikura

Hiroki Kusakabe

Junji Morita

Akira Taomoto

Norihisa Mino

Akihiko Yoshida

Stephen William John

Morio Tomiyama

Atsushi Ono

Yasuo Takebe

Yasushi Nakagiri

Yoshiaki Yamamoto

Yoshihiro Hori

Masato Hosaka

Kouji Nakagawa

Masao Yamamoto

Yukiyoshi Ono

Yoshiki Nagao

Masato Aizawa

Yoichiro Tsuji

Masaki Yamauchi

Satoru Fujii

Shinsuke Takeguchi

Hidenobu Wakita

Yoshio Moriwaki

Noboru Taniguchi

Hiroshi Shimoda

Tsutomu Iwaki

Takaharu Gamo

Fumitoshi Nishiwaki

Shinya Kosako

Hidekazu Tanigawa

Masuo Takigawa

Shinji Kinoshita

Nobuhiro Hase

Takaharu Gamou

Yasutomo Funakoshi

Atsushi Mukoyama

Masayo Sugou

Shinji Omura

Shoko Nakasuji

Shoko Miyake

Hiroshi c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Shimoda

Shinji c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Kinoshita

Atsushi c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Mukoyama

Hideo Room A-402 Ohara

Kazuhito Room 714 Suminodou Paaku-Haitsu Hatoh

Kazufumi Room 202 Haitsu-Nishiguchi Nishida

A desalination method includes: introducing a liquid to a reservoir layer to place the liquid above a water-repellent particle layer; heating and evaporating the liquid placed above the water-repellent particle layer to generate water vapor and deposit impurities on the sheet; liquefying the water vapor by a liquefying layer to obtain fresh water; and removing the sheet on which the impurities have been deposited from a desalination apparatus.

Desalination method

A desalination apparatus that includes: a water-repellent particle layer that is located below a water tank, contains water-repellent particles, and allows passage of water vapor generated by evaporation of the liquid stored in the water tank, the water tank being a space for storing the liquid; and a liquefying layer that is located below the water-repellent particle layer, and liquefies the water vapor that has passed through the water-repellent particle layer to obtain the fresh water. The water-repellent particle layer includes: a first layer that contains first water-repellent particles among the water-repellent particles, and faces the water tank; and a second layer that contains second water-repellent particles among the water-repellent particles, and is provided below the first layer. The second water-repellent particles have a larger average particle size than the first water-repellent particles.

Desalination apparatus and desalination method

The desalination apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a water-repellent particle layer that is located below a water tank, contains water-repellent particles, and allows passage of water vapor generated by evaporation of the liquid stored in the water tank, the water tank being a space for storing the liquid; and a liquefying layer that is located below the water-repellent particle layer, and liquefies the water vapor that has passed through the water-repellent particle layer to obtain the fresh water. The water-repellent particle layer includes an anti-migration layer provided as a surface layer that faces the water tank and containing anti-migration particles. Each of the anti-migration particles has a higher aspect ratio than the water-repellent particles, the aspect ratio being a value obtained by dividing a length in a major axis direction by a length in a minor axis direction.

A water amount controlling method according to the present disclosure includes: opening a discharge valve that discharges a liquid from a water tank if an impurity concentration is higher than or equal to a first reference value, and opening a sluice gate that introduces the liquid to the water tank a predetermined period after opening the discharge valve, the first reference value being lower than a saturation concentration; throttling the discharge valve and the sluice gate if the impurity concentration is higher than or equal to a second reference value and the temperature is lower than or equal to a third reference value, the second reference value being lower than the first reference value; and closing the discharge valve if the impurity concentration is lower than the second reference value, and closing the sluice gate a predetermined period after closing the discharge valve.

Water amount controlling method and desalination system

A desalination system, etc. of the present disclosure includes: a water tank; a water-repellent particle layer that is located below the water tank and contains a plurality of water-repellent particles; a liquefying layer that is located below the water-repellent particle layer and liquefies water vapor that has passed through the water-repellent particle layer, to obtain fresh water; an introduction channel of a liquid supply channel that supplies a liquid to the water tank; and a liquid speed reduction part that is located on the introduction channel of the supply channel, and includes a wall surface crossing a flow direction of the liquid in the supply channel, for reducing a flow speed of the liquid.

Desalination system and desalination method

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the cathode and the anode. A plurality of projections each having a height of 5 to 15 &#x3bc;m or a plurality of depressions each having a depth of 5 to 15 &#x3bc;m are formed on a surface of the electrolyte membrane, the surface being opposed to the cathode. The cathode is constituted by a catalyst layer formed to tightly contact the surface of the electrolyte membrane and having a maximum thickness that is one to three times the height of the projection or the depth of the depression. An oxygen-containing gas having a relative humidity of 10% or less is supplied to the cathode, and electric power is generated by using the polymer electrolyte fuel cell.

Method of operating polymer electrolyte fuel cell

In order to significantly improve power generation efficiencies for the fuel cells, the present invention provides a method for fabricating a polymer electrolyte membrane comprising a surface with an array of a plurality of fine convex portion with a depth of not less than 3 &#x3bc;m and not more than 12 &#x3bc;m and an aspect ratio of not less than 0.4 and not more than 2.0,

Method for fabricating a polymer electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell

Methods are provided for easily obtaining a high performance electrode without using an organic solvent for making an ink of an electrode catalyst or a surfactant for making an ink of a water repellent carbon material. The methods of manufacturing an electrode for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprise (a) a step of adhering a polymer electrolyte or a water repellent material to fine electrically conductive particles, and granulating the electrically conductive particles to obtain multinary granules, and (b) a step of depositing the multinary granules in layer form to obtain a catalyst layer or a water repellent layer of an electrode. Apparatus for manufacturing the electrodes, as well as polymer electrolyte fuel cells using the electrodes are also provided.

Methods of manufacturing electrodes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

A fuel cell includes a stack of unit cells, each including: a hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; an anode and a cathode sandwiching the polymer electrolyte membrane; an anode-side conductive separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying and discharging a fuel gas to and from the anode; and a cathode-side conductive separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying and discharging an oxidant gas to and from the cathode. At least one of the anode-side and cathode-side separator plates has, in one face thereof, a plurality of independent gas flow channels, which constitute the gas flow path. When the fuel cell is operated at low load, the fuel gas or the oxidant gas is supplied to one or more of the plurality of independent gas flow channels, so that the fuel cell is capable of securing sufficient gas velocity.

Fuel cell, separator plate for a fuel cell, and method of operation of a fuel cell

In order to effectively supply and demand electric power between an electric power supplier and a node or a group of nodes individually having an electric power generator, the present invention provides an electric power supply and demand management system capable of obtaining the difference between the total of electric power supplied from the electric power supplier to the node or group and the total of electric power consumed by the electric power loads of the node or group and capable of transmitting information for increasing/decreasing the amount of electric power supply so that the difference becomes smaller to the electric power supplier.

Power supply/demand control system

The present invention provides a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell which has proper rigidity, is easy to handle and contributes to the improvement of the productivity of fuel cells. A method for producing a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell including a first step of: impregnating a conductive porous substrate made of a conductive carbon fiber cloth or conductive carbon fiber felt with a first dispersion containing a first fluorocarbon resin having thermoplasticity; and baking the first conductive porous substrate at a first baking temperature of not less than the melting point of the first fluorocarbon resin and less than the decomposition temperature of the first fluorocarbon resin to enhance the rigidity of the conductive porous substrate.

Gas diffusion layer, electrode and membrane electrode assembly for fuel cell, and production methods thereof

In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell including a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; a pair of electrodes composed of catalyst layers sandwiching the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane between them and gas diffusion layers in contact with the catalyst layers; a conductive separator plate having a gas flow channel for supplying a fuel gas to one of the electrodes; and a conductive separator plate having a gas flow channel for supplying an oxidant gas to the other electrode, in order to bring a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte and a catalyst metal of the catalyst layers containing the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte and conductive carbon particles carrying the catalyst metal sufficiently and uniformly into contact with each other, the polymer electrolyte is provided in pores of an agglomerate structure of the conductive carbon particles. Consequently, the reaction area inside the electrodes is increased, and higher performance is exhibited.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A fuel cell component includes an electrolyte membrane and insert members disposed within the electrolyte membrane. The insert members are arranged to provide compression resistance of the assembly of the insert members and electrolyte membrane. Creep resistance of the assembly of the insert members and electrolyte membrane is greater than a creep resistance of the electrolyte membrane alone.

Fuel cell and process for the production of same

An operation method is provided for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in an optimum operating condition by regulating the cell by a function represented by a gas flow rate and the difference between a saturated steam pressure and an actual steam pressure, by regulating an in-plane temperature distribution obtained by a cooling water flow direction and by the regulation of a cooling water inlet temperature and a cooling water flow amount; a gas supply amount; a supplied moisture amount; and a current density.

Operation method for polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell is provided comprising: a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; an anode and a cathode sandwiching the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; an anode side electroconductive separator having a gas channel for supplying a fuel gas to the anode; a cathode side electroconductive separator having a gas channel for supplying an oxidant gas to the cathode; characterized in that the anode and the cathode comprise a gas diffusion layer and a catalyst layer formed on the gas diffusion layer at the side in contact with the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, the catalyst layer has catalyst particles and a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte, and at least either of hydrogen ion conductivity and gas permeability of at least either of the anode and the cathode varies in a thickness direction of the anode or the cathode.

Polymer electrolytic fuel cell and method for producing the same

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Shijonawate, Japan

Hisaaki Gyoten