Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kouetsu Hibino

Kyoichi Tange

Yasuyuki Asai

Hiroshi Hasegawa

Yuichi Yagami

Toshiyuki Inagaki

Tsuyoshi Takahashi

Katsuhiro Kajio

Tomonori Nagashima

Mikio Wada

Tsutomu Ochi

Tamio Shinozawa

Haruhisa Niimi

Yixin Zeng

Toshiyuki Suzuki

Yukio Terashima

Nobutaka Honma

Kiyoto Inomata

Toshiharu Okui

A fuel cell () includes a lamination () of a plurality of unit cells (), current collector plates () arranged at both ends of the lamination (), end platesrespectively provided outside the current collector plates () with 5 insulating plates () interposed therebetween, and fastening members () for fastening the end plates () in the laminating direction to apply desired pressing force to the lamination (). A barcode () corresponding to particular information relating to a unit cell () is provided on the exposed side surface of a separator () of the unit cell (). According to this fuel cell (), the barcodecan be easily read requiring no disassembly of the fuel cell (). Moreover, as the information relating to the fuel cell can be obtained from the barcode (), the information that cannot be determined from outer appearance can be obtained, resulting in improved service operations.

Fuel cell component having a retrieval code

A fuel cell-purposed separator has a gas channel that includes a plurality of stages connected via turnaround portions. A bypass is provided which connects an upstream-side stage to a downstream side stage. After flowing through the downstream-side stage, a gas is let out of a gas outlet. The fuel cell-purposed separator thus constructed curbs a gas concentration drop on the downstream side in the gas channel.

Separator for fuel cell

A fuel cell separator is pressed so that one side thereof defines a gas flow channel and that the other side thereof defines a coolant flow channel. A width dand a cross-sectional area Sof the gas flow channel and a width dand a cross-sectional area Sof the coolant flow channel satisfy a relationship: d&#x2267;dor a relationship: S&#x2267;S.

Fuel cell separator

A method for storing natural gas by adsorption which comprises separating an available natural gas in an infrastructure side ( ) into a low carbon number component mainly containing methane and ethane and a high carbon number component mainly containing propane, butane and the like, and storing the low carbon number component by adsorption in a first adsorption tank ( ) and storing the high carbon number component by adsorption in a second adsorption tank ( ). The method can solve the problem that the high carbon number component condenses within a pore of an adsorbing agent and hence the adsorption of the carbon number component, the main component of natural gas, is inhibited, and thus improves the storage density. Accordingly, the method can be used for ensuring a high storage density also for an available natural gas. An adsorbing agent for use in the method is also disclosed.

Method for storing natural gas by adsorption and adsorbing agent for use therein

A system stores densely dissolved methane-base gas and supplies gas of a predetermined composition. A container ( ) stores methane-base gas dissolved in hydrocarbon solvent and supplies it to means for adjusting composition, through which an object of regulated contents is obtained. Preferably, the means for adjusting composition is means for maintaining the tank in a supercritical state, or piping ( ) for extracting substances at a predetermined ratio from the gas phase ( ) and liquid phase ( ) in the container.

System for storing dissolved methane-base gas

The present invention discloses a method of producing hydrogen halide and oxygen by reacting water and halogen as represented by the following formula:

Method of producing hydrogen halide and oxygen

A method of separating iodine gas by passing a phase containing iodine gas through a hydrophobic separation membrane containing pores having a pore diameter of 1 nm to 60 .mu.m, retaining iodine gas on the upstream side of the flow of the phase in the separation membrane, and removing the phase from which iodine gas has been removed from the downstream side of the separation membrane. In addition, a membrane that is impermeable to water but permeable to steam is used in combination with this separation membrane.

Method of separating iodine gas

To provide a tracking-type solar module capable of high-performance sunlight-tracking with a simple configuration while simultaneously performing highly effective cooling of a solar cell, a solar cell is movably installed within a transparent cooling tube and is connected to a motor with a crank. A position detecting sensor is also installed inside the transparent cooling tube. Sunlight is refracted by a cooling medium filled inside the transparent cooling tube and is converged on the inner surface of the transparent cooling tube. The position detecting sensor detects the position at which sunlight is converged and the sunlight is tracked by the motor moving the solar cell to that position. Simultaneously, the cooling medium inside the transparent cooling tube directly cools the solar cell.

Tracking solar module

There is provided a converging solar module of a simple structure which can accurately track the sun and efficiently generate electricity. A converging solar module comprises an electricity generating converging lens (10) made of resin having a flat shape, and a solar battery cell (12) placed in the vicinity of a focal area of the converging lens (10). The converging lens (10) and the solar cell (12) are rotatable as a unit. The electricity generating converging lens (10) is attached to a shaft (20) of a rotation driving motor (18). Using sunlight converged by a cylindrical position detecting converging lens (40), a position detecting sensor (42) locates the sun, and outputs information regarding the position of the sun as angle information to a controller (48). The controller (48) in turn outputs a control signal to the rotating driving motor (18), which then drives the electricity generating converging lens (10) and the solar battery cell (12), whereby they are moved while rotating as a unit in accordance with the detected position f the sun. With this arrangement, the electricity generating converging lens (10) is brought into a position where it is continuously directed vertically to incoming sunlight.

Converging solar module

For the purpose of providing a solar module which has a fixed type solar concentrator of high converging magnification, a solar cell 12 is installed on the bottom face of an extension 30 which is extended further from the apex of a V shape formed by a pair of prisms having a refractive index larger than that of air, and a mirror surface 18 is formed on the back side of an incident surface 20 on which sunlight 10 falls. The mirror surface 18 and the incident surface 20 are formed in such a manner that their distance widens toward the apex of the V shape. The sunlight 10 incident on the prisms 16 performs reflection on the mirror surface 18 and total internal reflection on the incident surface 20, respectively. After repeating such reflection, the sunlight 10 reaches the bottom of the extension 30, where it emerges as outgoing light 22 to the solar cell 12.

Solar module

Activated carbon is effective as a catalyst for water decomposition when it is coated with a heat-resistant, oxidation-resistant film. The heat-resistant, oxidation-resistant film is formed from an inorganic material such as ceramic or metal, and/or an organic material such as an organic ion-exchange resin, a silicone resin or a fluororesin, and preferably contains oxide capable of decomposing hypohalogenous acid. Water can be chemically decomposed to give hydrogen by the use of the activated carbon.

Method for decomposing water using an activated carbon catalyst

There are provided a method of producing a hydrogen halide and oxygen by reacting water with a halogen using activated carbon as a catalyst, a method of producing hydrogen by thermal decomposition of a hydrogen halide using chromium oxide as a catalyst, and a method of producing oxygen and hydrogen by combining these two methods.

Method for producing oxygen and hydrogen

In order to generate sufficient electricity in a small light converging solar module, a power generation solar cell is provided with four movement solar cells, situated around it. Below the respective movement solar cells, electromagnets are situated, connected to corresponding movement solar cells. The power generation solar cell, the movement solar cells, and the electromagnets are all mounted on a cell holder, around which a permanent magnet in the form of a ring is provided. When a converged spot moves its position from on the power generation solar cell to a position off the power generation solar cell, and onto one of the movement solar cells, electricity is supplied to the corresponding electromagnet, thereby moving the cell holder due to attracting forces generated between the electromagnet and the permanent magnet. After the cell holder is moved to such a point where the converged spot correctly falls on the power generation solar cell, the cell holder stops its movement.

Growing community of inventors

Nisshin, Japan

Kouetsu Hibino