Nissan Motor Company Limited

W.l. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.

Mitsutaka Abe

Takanori Oku

Shigetaka Uehara

Yasuhiro Numao

Kazuhiro Kageyama

Manabu Sugino

Keigo Ikezoe

Shigeru Kamegaya

Tomoya Nomura

Shigemasa Kuwata

Tadashi Matoba

Tomoyuki Takane

Takahito Osada

Shoichi Nakamura

Naoko Abe

A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly constituted of an electrolyte membrane and an electrode layer, a frame portion disposed along an outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly, and separators that include gas flow passages to supply the membrane electrode assembly with fuel gas, wherein the membrane electrode assembly is interposed by a pair of the separators, and the separators include adhesion regions bonded to the frame portion via an adhesive, and reduced portions where distances between the separators and the frame portion are shorter than distances between the separators and the frame portion at other adhesion regions in the adhesion regions.

Fuel cell

A fuel battery cell has a membrane electrode assembly, a frame, a pair of separators, and support members. The membrane electrode assembly is formed with an anode and a cathode bonded so as to face an electrolyte membrane. The frame holds the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly. The pair of separators sandwich the frame holding the membrane electrode assembly. The support members protrude along an edge part of the frame so as to pass beyond the frame and support the membrane electrode assembly.

The invention provides a fuel cell (A) in which a frame body () provided with a membrane electrode assembly () is sandwiched between a pair of separators (), and multiple projections () are arranged at given intervals on each of two surface sides of the frame body (). Thus, a gas flow path (S) for a hydrogen-containing gas is defined and formed on one surface side of the frame body () and a gas flow path (S) for an oxygen-containing gas is defined and formed on the other surface side of the frame body (). The projections () on the one surface side of the frame body () and the projections () on the other surface side of the frame body () are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the frame body () in a stacking direction (&#x3b1;) of the fuel cell.

A fuel cell stack includes bonding members for joining projecting sections of adjacent frames in cell modules, an inter-cell module seal member forming a seal between the cell modules, and supporting members disposed between adjacent frames in the cell modules. As viewed from above in the direction in which the cell modules are layered, the supporting members overlap at least a part of a section of the inter-cell module seal member that contacts the cell modules.

Fuel cell stack

Provided is a fuel cell including: a membrane electrode assembly () formed by joining an anode () to one surface of an electrolyte membrane () and joining a cathode () to another surface of the electrolyte membrane (); a frame body () formed integrally with the membrane electrode assembly (); and a pair of separators () holding the membrane electrode assembly () and the frame body () therebetween. At least one pair of holding pieces () holding the membrane electrode assembly () therebetween is formed in the pair of separators (). Positions of holding end portions () of the pair of holding pieces () are shifted from each other in a stacking direction of the fuel cell.

A vehicle-mounted cell stack system includes a cell stack that comprises a plurality of laminated power generating cells, and power collecting plates that sandwich both outermost power generating cells, electric wires connected to the power collecting plates, and an electric load connected to the power collecting plates via the electric wires and configured to be activated by electric power that is supplied from the cell stack. The electric wires are connected to the power collecting plates in a direction other than a cell laminating direction.

Vehicle-mounted cell stack system

A fuel cell stack has a stacked plurality of cell modules, each of the plurality of cell modules comprising a stacked plurality of single cells, each of the plurality of single cells comprising a membrane electrode assembly sandwiched between a pair of separators, a pair of end plates that sandwich the plurality of cell modules in the stacking direction, sealing plates to seal a reactant gas, disposed between the plurality of cell modules and between outermost cell modules and the end plates, and a voltage measuring terminal protruding to an outside of the cells, provided in at least one of the sealing plates.

Disclosed is a fuel cell provided with a membrane electrode structure having a frame, two separators that sandwich the membrane electrode structure therebetween, and gas seals between the end portion of the frame and the end portions of respective separators, and diffuser sections for distributing a reacting gas to between the frame and respective separators. In the diffuser section on the cathode side, the frame is provided with a protruding section in contact with the separator, and in the diffuser section on the anode side, the frame and the separator are disposed by being spaced apart from each other, thereby excellently maintaining contact surface pressure between the membrane electrode structure and the separators, and preventing contact resistance from being increased.

A fuel cell is provided with a membrane electrode assembly provided with a frame, both of which are sandwiched between two separators. The fuel cell is configured such that reactive gas is circulated between the frame and the separators. The frame and both separators each have manifold holes, the rims of the manifold holes of frame extend into the manifold holes in the separators, and protrusions cover the inner peripheral surfaces of the manifold holes in at least one of the separators. This structure makes possible the easy and accurate position and integration of the separators and the frame, and fuel cell miniaturization can be achieved because space to position the protrusions is not needed.

When a system starts, a fuel-air mixture (rich air-fuel ratio) of fuel and air supplied to a start-up combustor () is ignited by a glow plug (), and high temperature gas containing fuel components for a reforming reaction are generated. The high temperature gas containing fuel components for the reforming reaction is supplied to a reformer ().

Fuel cell drive system

To generate hydrogen-rich gas which is supplied to a fuel cell stack () of a fuel cell power plant, a reformer () generates reformate gas comprising hydrogen from methanol, and a carbon monoxide oxidizer () oxidizes carbon monoxide from the reformate gas by an action of a catalyst incorporated therein. A valve () which supplies hot gas, and a valve () which supplies air are provided. When the catalyst temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, hot gas is supplied from the valve () to the oxidizer (). Due to the heat of oxidation of carbon monoxide by the air supplied by the valve () and the high temperature of the hot gas, the temperature of the catalyst rises rapidly after start-up of the power plant.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Mitsutaka Abe