Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Kiyoshi Hori

Ikuo Yonezu

Akira Hamada

Takashi Yasuo

Yasunori Yoshimoto

Yoshito Chikano

Nobuyoshi Nishizawa

Osamu Tajima

Kunihiro Nakato

Masaru Tsutsumi

Keigo Miyai

Junji Tanaka, Deceased

Tomotoshi Ikenaga

A fuel cell separator which has a metal substrate and offers a high corrosion resistance and conductivity is provided. The separator has a metal layer on the surface of the substrate made of stainless steel, and a conductive layer on top of the metal layer. The conductive layer is made up of conductive particles which are fusion-bonded to each other and exhibit excellent conductivity. The separator also has a highly corrosion-resisting oxide layer which covers exposed parts of the metal layer, the parts where the metal layer is not covered with the conductive particles. This enables the fuel cell separator to assume high conductivity at an interface between the metal layer and the conductive particles, and high corrosion resistance at the exposed parts of the surface of the metal layer.

Separator used for fuel cell, method for manufacturing the separator, and the fuel cell

A fuel cell comprising a stack including a stack including a plurality of cell units and a plurality of gas separators and at least one cooling plate, one of the gas separator and the cooling plate being interposed between adjacent cell units, the fuel cell being characterized in that; each gas separator and the cooling plate, respectively, have oxidant gas channels on one of surfaces that opposes to have contact with one of electrode surfaces of the cell unit to as to flow an oxidant gas in a direction vertical to a direction of a cooling air flowing through the cooling plate; each gas separator and the cooling plate, respectively, have fuel gas channels, a fuel-gas-supply inner manifold for taking in a fuel gas, and a fuel-gas-exhaust inner manifold for releasing the fuel gas having passed through the fuel gas channels on the other surface that opposes to have contact with the other electrode surface of the cell unit so as to flow the fuel gas in a direction parallel to the direction of the cooling air flowing through the cooling plates; and an inlet of the fuel-gas-supply inner manifold and an outlet of the fuel-gas-exhaust inner manifold are formed so as to supply and release the fuel gas in a same direction of the oxidant gas flowing through the oxidant gas channels.

Fuel cell using a separate gas cooling method

Growing community of inventors

Nabari, Japan

Kiyoshi Hori