Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd.

Naotoshi Miyamoto

Kazumi Sugita

Kosuke Katsuta

Tomokazu Hayashi

Kazuhiro Watanabe

Kazutaka Iizuka

Shigemitsu Nomoto

Takeshi Nagasawa

Rie Takami

Takuji Nagano

Kazutaka Ilsuka

A method of activating a catalyst for a fuel cell in order to perform catalyst activation in a cathode electrode of the fuel cell includes a first process in which hydrogen is supplied into an anode electrode, the side of an air supply line of the cathode electrode is sealed, and the side of an air exhaust line of the cathode electrode is opened to an atmosphere, a second process in which the side of the air exhaust line of the cathode electrode is sealed after the first process, and a third process in which catalyst activation is performed in the cathode electrode after the second process.

Method of activating catalyst for fuel cell

A loading-unloading assist system includes a holder that holds a plurality of single cells such that the single cells are detachable from the holder, and a lifting device that moves the holder up and down. The holder holds the plurality of single cells in a state where the single cells are arrayed in a straight line at predetermined intervals.

Loading-unloading assist system

In a fuel cell having a cell structure in which a gas flow passage is formed by an expanded metal, a bond portion connecting a mesh of the expanded metal stands partially upright in a position where a bond length is shortened so as to form a part of a strand portion. Hence, in an opening formed by the mesh of the expanded metal, a surface area on which front and rear openings overlap in a direction increases when seen from an direction. Thus, a sectional area of gas flow passages constituted by a continuum in the direction of the openings overlapping in the direction increases. As a result, a gas flow flows without making repeated narrow turns, leading to a reduction in gas pressure loss.

Fuel cell

A fuel cell comprises a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and electrode layers arranged on each surface of the electrolyte membrane respectively, and first and second separators that are formed by processing a metal plate and are arranged so as to sandwich the membrane electrode assembly. At a position outside a position facing the membrane electrode assembly, the separators have an opening that constitutes a reaction gas flow path that is roughly perpendicular to a surface direction of the membrane electrode assembly. The first separator has a folded back part that is formed by folding back at least part of the metal plate of the position at which the opening is formed toward the membrane electrode assembly side along a boundary line on the membrane electrode assembly side of the opening as a fold line. The folded back part has a communication hole that allows communication between an internal flow path space and the reaction gas flow path, the internal flow path space being a space communicated with an end surface of the membrane electrode assembly and being formed between the folded back part and the first separator. The second separator does not have the folded back part.

Fuel cell having a separator with a folded back part

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Toyota, Japan

Naotoshi Miyamoto