Nissan Motor Company Limited

Kentarou Yajima

Masanari Yanagisawa

Takao Izumi

Keiji Okada

Susumu Maeshima

A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cells stacked via separators, each one of which cells has a solid electrolyte plate interposed between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode. The separator is constituted of an uneven member that includes a first abutting portion, a second abutting portion, and a connecting portion, the first abutting portion abuts on one fuel cell of the two adjacent fuel cells, the second abutting portion abuts on the other fuel cell, and the connecting portion connects the first abutting portion to the second abutting portion. At least one abutting portion of the first abutting portion or the second abutting portion has a section modulus greater than a section modulus of the connecting portion.

Fuel cell stack

A fuel cell system including: a solid oxide type fuel cell that is supplied with an anode gas and a cathode gas to generate an electric power; a fuel tank that stores a water-containing fuel containing water; a fuel supply passage that couples the fuel cell to the fuel tank; a reformer disposed on the fuel supply passage, the reformer reforming the water-containing fuel into the anode gas; a separator disposed on the fuel supply passage in an upstream side with respect to the reformer, the separator separating the water contained in the water-containing fuel; a detector disposed in the upstream side with respect to the reformer, the detector detecting or estimating a moisture content contained in the water-containing fuel; and a control unit that controls the separator. The control unit controls the separator on the basis of the moisture content detected or estimated by the detector.

Fuel cell system and control method for controlling moisture content of fuel

A solid oxide fuel cell of the present invention includes: a fuel cell unit including a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte and an air electrode layered in the written order; a current collection assisting layer that is layered on an air electrode side of the fuel cell unit; air channels disposed on the air electrode side; and fuel gas channels disposed on a fuel electrode side. The air channels and the fuel gas channels are defined and formed by a current collector on the current collection assisting layer and a current collector on the fuel electrode side of the fuel cell unit. The air channels and the fuel gas channels extend in the same direction that is perpendicular to the fuel cell unit layering direction. The current collector on the air electrode side is fixed to the current collection assisting layer at first fixing portions that extend in the air channel extending direction, and the current collector on the fuel electrode side is fixed to the fuel electrode side of the fuel cell unit at second fixing portions that extend in the fuel gas channel extending direction. The solid oxide fuel cell is characterized in that the current collection assisting layer has such flexural rigidity that is lower in a direction perpendicular to the air channel extending direction than in the air channel extending direction.

Solid oxide fuel cell

A fuel cell system includes a solid oxide fuel cell configured to receive a supply of an anode gas and a cathode gas to generate electric power. The fuel cell system includes an anode discharge passage through which an anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell flows, a cathode discharge passage through which a cathode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell flows, a joining portion where the anode discharge passage and the cathode discharge passage join. The fuel cell system further includes a gas supply unit configured to supply a fuel gas using a fuel stored in a fuel tank into the anode discharge passage during a system stop.

Fuel cell system and control method for fuel cell system

A solid oxide fuel cell includes a plate-shaped cell with a structure in which a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode are stacked on a metal support, and current collectors which are stacked to sandwich both sides of the cell. The current collectors are in contact with both sides of the cell. The cell includes deformation guides which are easy to deform compared to other part of the cell. When the cell deforms due to thermal expansion, the cellis allowed to easily deform around the deformation guides.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Kentarou Yajima