Nissan Motor Company Limited

Motoki Yaginuma

Atsushi Miyazawa

Akira Yasutake

Keisuke Yamamoto

Toshikazu Kotaka

Yasuhiro Numao

Norihiro Tajima

Yosuke Fukuyama

Motoharu Obika

Tomokatsu Himeno

Koichi Kawasaki

Koshi Takata

Tsuyoshi Sugimoto

Kazuyuki Sato

Kazuhiro Takahata

Keita Iritsuki

Takeshi Shiomi

Keiji Okada

Nobuo Kino

Keiji Ichihara

Kenji Kanamori

Tsutomu Yamazaki

Hiroshi Miyaoka

Manabu Sugino

Takahito Osada

Satoru Moriya

Toshihiko Tsuda

Toshihide Asano

A fuel cell stack including: a metal-supported cell including a power generation cell formed of paired electrodes and an electrolyte sandwiched from both sides between the paired electrodes, and a metal supporting portion which is made of metal and which supports the power generation cell; a separator defining and forming a flow passage portion for gas flow between the separator and the power generation cell; a welded portion in which the metal-supported cell and the separator are welded to each other; a spring portion configured to apply absorption reaction force for absorbing displacement in a stacking direction in the welded portion to the metal-supported cell; and a stopper portion configured to restrict a displacement amount of the spring portion.

Fuel cell stack

A grid spring is provided with first raised pieces that generate an elastic force for pressing a separator toward a power generation cell and second raised pieces that generate an elastic force independently of the first raised pieces. The spring constant of the first raised pieces decreases as a result of heating of a grid spring. The grid spring functions as a high reaction force spring as a result of a larger spring constant of the first spring member relative to a spring constant of the second spring member before heating. After being heated, the grid spring functions as a low reaction force spring as a result of the smaller spring constant of the first spring member before being heated.

Spring member, fuel cell unit, fuel cell stack, and method for manufacturing fuel cell stack

A fuel cell unit structure includes: power generation cells; separators; a flow passage portion formed between the separators and including flow passages configured to supply gas to the power generation cells; gas flow-in ports configured to allow the gas to flow into the flow passage portion; gas flow-out ports configured to allow the gas to flow out from the flow passage portion; and an adjustment portion configured to adjust an amount of the gas flowing through the flow passages. The adjustment portion includes a first auxiliary flow passage provided between the power generation cells arranged to be opposed to each other on a same plane with a gas flow-in port of the gas flow-in ports being located on an extended line of an extending direction of the first auxiliary flow passage.

Fuel cell unit structure and method of controlling fuel cell unit structure

A spring member is used in a fuel cell stack. The spring member includes a planar portion and a spring portion. The planar portion is joined to a separator in a state of surface contact with the separator. The spring portion extends from the planar portion and generates an elastic force for pressing the separator toward a power generation cell by receiving force in a stacking direction of a cell unit and undergoing bending deformation.

Spring member, fuel cell unit, and fuel cell stack

An in-line coating device includes: a coating section configured to perform coating on a workpiece; and a transport section configured to transport a plurality of the workpieces in the coating section. The coating section is provided with a plurality of coating materials which are aligned. The transport section transports the workpieces such that the workpieces face the plurality of coating materials. The in-line coating device includes a voltage applying section configured to, when the workpiece is transported and faces each coating material, apply to the workpiece, a bias voltage to attract particles emitted from the coating material toward the workpiece. The bias voltages applied to the workpiece by the voltage applying section when the workpiece faces one of the coating materials can be different from that applied when the workpiece faces another one of the coating material.

In-line coating device, in-line coating method, and separator

The fuel cell single cell of the present invention includes: a membrane electrode assembly; a low-rigidity frame that supports the membrane electrode assembly; a pair of separators that holds the low-rigidity frame and the membrane electrode assembly therebetween; a gas channel for supplying gas to the membrane electrode assembly between the pair of separators; manifold parts that are formed in the low-rigidity frame and the pair of separators to supply the gas to the gas channel; restraining ribs that restrain the low-rigidity frame near the manifold parts; a projected part of the low-rigidity frame that projects toward the manifold parts beyond the restraining ribs; and a gas flow part that is formed in the projected part to supply the gas from the manifold part to the gas channel.

Single cell structure for fuel cells, and fuel cell stack structure wherein said fuel cell single cells are stacked

A fuel cell stack FS includes: a plurality of cell modules M each including an integrally stacked plurality of single cells C; a sealing plate P intervened between each of the plurality of cell modules M; a manifold Mthat penetrates the plurality of cell modules M and the sealing plate(s) P in a stacking direction to distribute reaction gas, wherein the sealing plate P includes a sealing member Sthat surrounds and seals the manifold Mbetween the sealing plate P and each of the plurality of cell modules M, and the sealing member Sincludes an extended portion E that extends toward the manifold Mso that an end face Fof the extended portion E is flush with an inner wall of the manifold M. Generated water is suitably discharged through the manifold Mwithout a decrease of the flowability of the reaction gas and an increase of the production cost.

A fuel cell stack includes a stacked plurality of single cells that includes respective membrane electrode assemblieswith peripheral framesand respective pairs of separatorsA,B holding the framesand the membrane electrode assembliesbetween them, in which the framesand the separatorsA,B of the single cells C include respective distribution holes Hthat continue to each other in the stacked position to form a manifold Mfor distributing reaction gas, at least a part of the inner wall of the manifold Mis formed in a continuous flat shape that extends in the stacking direction of the single cells C. Generated water is suitably discharged through the manifold Mwithout a decrease of the flowability of reaction gas and an increase of the production cost.

A fuel cell has a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, catalyst layers disposed on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, and three or more layers of porous bodies disposed on a front surface side of the catalyst layer, a frame body surrounding an outer periphery of the electrolyte membrane, and a separator that partitions and forms a gas passage between the membrane electrode assembly and the separator. Extended portions are provided at an outer edge of a first porous body adjacent to the separator among the three layers of the porous bodies, and at an outer edge of a second porous body adjacent to the first porous body, respectively, so as to extend to be superimposed over the frame body. The extended portions of the first and second porous bodies intervene between the frame body and the separator.

Fuel cell

A single fuel cell, a plurality of which are to be stacked to form a fuel cell stack, includes a membrane electrode assembly having a structure including paired electrode layers and an electrolyte membrane held between the paired electrode layers, paired separators each forming a gas passage between the separator and the membrane electrode assembly, and a displacement absorber having a conductive property and interposed between one separator of the single fuel cell and an adjacent-side separator of another single fuel cell to be stacked adjacent to the single fuel cell. The displacement absorber is connected to at least any one of the separators.

Single fuel cell, fuel cell stack, and method of manufacturing fuel cell stack

A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, a frame arranged on an outer periphery portion of the membrane electrode assembly, and a separator defining a gas flow channel between the separator and the membrane electrode assembly and between the separator and the frame. A diffuser portion which is a part of the gas flow channel, is formed between the separator and the frame. An electrode layer includes a metal porous body which is an electrode surface layer and has gas permeability. The metal porous body has at an end portion thereof, an extension part covering a region corresponding to the diffuser portion of the frame.

A fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, catalyst layers stacked on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, and two or more porous bodies having different moduli of elasticity and provided on a surface of one of the catalyst layers; a separator defining a gas flow passage between the separator and the membrane electrode assembly; and a frame body surrounding an outer periphery of the electrolyte membrane. A porous body adjacent to the separator out of the two or more porous bodies includes an outer edge portion including an outer extending portion extending to overlap with the frame body. An elastic body is provided between the outer extending portion and the frame body.

An electrical conductive member () includes a metal substrate (), an intermediate layer () formed on the metal substrate (), and an electrical conductive layer () formed on the intermediate layer (). The intermediate layer () contains a constituent of the metal substrate (), a constituent of the electrical conductive layer (), and a crystallization inhibiting component that inhibits crystallization in the intermediate layer (). According to this configuration, the electrical conductive member having excellent electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion can be obtained.

Electrical conductive member, method for manufacturing the same, separator for fuel cell, and polymer electrolyte fuel cell

An electrical conductive member includes: an electrical conductive structure including: a substrate; an electrical conductive carbon layer provided on at least one surface of the substrate and containing electrical conductive carbon; and a middle layer interposed between the substrate and the electrical conductive carbon layer. An intensity ratio R (I/I) of a D-band peak intensity (I) to a G-band peak intensity (I) measured by a Raman scattering spectroscopic analysis in the electrical conductive carbon layer is between 1.4 and 1.9.

Electrical conductive member and polymer electrolyte fuel cell using the same

A cell of a fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, and metal first and second separators which sandwich the membrane electrode assembly to form gas flow paths disposed on each side of the membrane electrode assembly. A back surface of the first separator and a back surface of the second separator, the first separator and the second separator being included in adjacent cells, are in contact with each other, thereby forming a temperature-control medium flow path between the first separator and the second separator. In the first separator and the second separator, corrosion-resistant coating layers are provided only on reaction-side surfaces of the first separator and the second separator, the reaction-side surfaces facing the membrane electrode assembly, and portions where the back surface of the first separator is in contact with the back surface of the second separator are joined by welded portions.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Motoki Yaginuma