Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Masaya Kobayashi

Nobuaki Nonoyama

Hongfei Jia

Kenji Sato

Hisao Kato

Takuya Kurihara

Daisuke Kanno

Koro Fujio

Tomoo Yoshizumi

Tomoyuki Nagai

Hikaru Tsutsui

Jin Tomatsu

Yuta Ikehata

The present disclosure provides a fuel cell stack, a fuel cell system and a method for controlling a fuel cell stack, which can reduce obstruction of reactive gas fluid channels caused by freezing of retained water, while allowing size to be reduced. The fuel cell stack of the disclosure comprises water storage units that are formed between every two adjacent fuel cell unit cells, surrounded by the adjacent separators, the wall members and the gaskets, and that communicate with the reactive gas discharge manifold via the gaps of the wall members. The fuel cell system of the disclosure controls either or both the valve and compressor in a reactive gas supply channel and/or the valve in a reactive gas discharge channel, to cause liquid water retained in the water storage units to be discharged out of the fuel cell stack. The controlling method of the disclosure includes reducing the pressure in and scavenging the interior of the reactive gas discharge manifold, to cause the liquid water that has been discharged into the reactive gas discharge manifold to be discharged out of the fuel cell stack.

Fuel cell stack, fuel cell system, and method for controlling fuel cell stack

A fuel cell single cell includes a pair of separators each having manifold holes, a frame disposed between the separators, a power generating unit disposed in an opening of the frame, and a plurality of gas flow channels configured to connect the power generating unit with the manifold holes. Each of the gas flow channels has a distal channel portion defined by a frame groove provided in the frame and configured to communicate with the manifold holes, and a proximal channel portion defined by a separator groove provided in the corresponding separator and configured to communicate with the power generating unit. Each of the gas flow channels is configured to be independent of adjacent other gas flow channels, at least over a range from a distal end of the distal channel portion, which communicates with the manifold holes, to a point in the proximal channel portion.

Fuel cell single cell

Provided is a fuel cell including: a membrane electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly including an electrolyte membrane; a sheet member; and a pair of separators. A first separator has a first projection that protrudes toward a side opposite from where the electrolyte membrane is disposed. A second separator has a second projection that protrudes toward a side opposite from where the electrolyte membrane is disposed. When seen from a direction perpendicular to the electrolyte membrane, the first projection and the second projection overlap at least part of the electrolyte membrane; the first projection has a first overlapping portion and a first non-overlapping portion; the second projection has a second overlapping portion and a second non-overlapping portion; the first projection is shaped so as to extend in a first longitudinal direction; and the second projection is shaped so as to extend in a second longitudinal direction intersecting the first longitudinal direction.

Fuel cell

An oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst, a membrane-electrode assembly and a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell containing the catalyst are provided. The ORR catalyst is a solid catalyst on a carbon support and the solid catalyst contains platinum metal or a platinum alloy metal having a surface complexed with a monodentate thiol ligand comprising an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring containing at least one of a bromide and an iodide substituent.

Surface modified platinum or platinum alloy catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

The fuel cell FC includes a discharge manifold AMe for discharging anode offgas from inside the fuel cell to outside the fuel cell. In the discharge manifold AMe, discharge pipeis placed, and a support mechanismis provided, the support mechanism including one or plural supporting portionsfor supporting the discharge pipeas well as an engaging portionfor placing a distal end portionof the discharge pipeat a position apart from a closed end Eof the discharge manifold AMe.

Fuel cell with discharge pipe

A single cell of a fuel cell has: a membrane-electrode assembly; and first and second separators holding the membrane-electrode assembly therebetween. The first separator has plural first straight or wavy groove channels that are arranged in parallel to each other in a first in-plane direction. A cross section along the first in-plane direction of each of the plural first groove channels has a first uneven shape. The first uneven shape has a first pitch Palong the first in-plane direction. The second separator has plural second wavy groove channels that are aligned along the first in-plane direction. A second uneven shape of the plural second groove channels has a second pitch Palong the first in-plane direction. The first pitch Pand the second pitch Pdiffer from each other, and neither a value of P/Pnor a value of P/Pis an integer.

Single cell of fuel cell

A fuel batteryincludes a cell laminated bodyincluding lamination of a plurality of cellsa current-collecting platedisposed at an end of the cell laminated bodythe current-collecting plate being made of a metal material, and an anti-rust platedisposed between the cell laminated bodyand the current-collecting platethe anti-rust plate being made of a metal material that is different from the metal material of the current-collecting plateThe anti-rust plateincludes a protrusionand the current-collecting plateincludes a fitting holeinto which the protrusionis fitted.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Masaya Kobayashi