Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Corporation

Asin Corporation

Takashi Mishima

Hiroaki Nishiumi

Takami Hosoi

Hitoshi Okuno

Koichi Kashiwagi

Ryuta Hayami

Koji Katano

Norio Yamagishi

Munetoshi Kuroyanagi

Naritsune Miyanaga

Tomoyoshi Kobayashi

Toshihide Yamada

Naoya Tsutsui

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a cathode off-gas discharge channel, a gas-liquid separator, and a cover member. The gas-liquid separator includes a body, a first discharge channel including a first valve seat at an end, and a first valve device including a first valve element and a first driver. The cover member covers at least the first discharge channel and the first valve seat in the gas-liquid separator, and includes a gas channel defining portion that defines a gas channel communicating with the cathode off-gas discharge channel between the cover member and the gas-liquid separator. The gas channel is configured such that a cathode off-gas flowing into the cover member comes into contact with the first discharge channel and the first valve seat and does not come into contact with the first driver.

Fuel cell system

A gas-liquid separator includes a housing being supplied with water-containing gas, a gas-liquid separation portion being provided inside the housing and separating water from water-containing gas, a water storage portion being arranged on a bottom portion of the housing and storing water separated by the gas-liquid separation portion, and a valve mechanism enabling discharge of and stop of the discharge of water in the water storage portion via a discharge flow path communicating with the water storage portion. An inner wall of the housing has a guide surface flowing water toward the water storage portion and is provided with a regulating portion regulating staying of water in a vicinity of a flow-in port of the discharge flow path.

Gas-liquid separator

A gas-liquid separator includes: a housing including a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and a water storage section at a lower side of the gas inlet and the gas outlet; a collision wall provided inside the housing to collide with a gas that contains water introduced from the gas inlet to separate the water from the gas by adhering the water thereto while changing a flow direction of the gas; and a downflow wall provided inside the housing to introduce the water falling from the collision wall into the water storage section and change the flow direction of the gas.

A gas and water discharge unit for a fuel cell system that can be prevented from freezing even when it is formed using resin material. The unit includes a gas-liquid separator for separating produced water from fuel off-gas discharged from a fuel cell device, a gas and water discharge valve disposed downstream of the gas-liquid separator, and a resin unit body integrally formed with the gas-liquid separator and the gas and water discharge valve, in which the inside of the unit body includes a first channel with a valve seal at an end thereof on the gas and water discharge valve side, the first channel allowing communication between the gas-liquid separator and the gas and water discharge valve, a second channel communicating with the first channel via the gas and water discharge valve, and a heated water channel surrounding at least one of the first or second channel.

Gas and water discharge unit for fuel cell system

An exhaust drain valve includes a valve casing, a primary flow passage introducing an anode-off gas and a produced water from an inlet of the primary flow passage to an inside, a secondary flow passage discharging the anode-off gas and the produced water from an outlet of the secondary flow passage to an outside, a valve seat being formed at a primary flow passage outlet, and a valve body moving forward and backward. The primary flow passage includes an orifice being communicated with the primary flow passage outlet, an introduction flow passage having a diameter larger than a diameter of the orifice, the introduction flow passage being communicable with the inlet, and a step portion being formed orthogonal to an axial direction of the introduction flow passage, the step portion connecting the orifice and the introduction flow passage by having a step between the orifice and the introduction flow passage.

Exhaust drain valve for fuel cell

A piping unit includes a cathode gas supply passage arranged to supply a cathode gas, and a cathode gas discharge passage arranged to discharge a cathode off-gas. The cathode gas supply passage includes a cathode supply valve, upstream cathode gas piping and downstream cathode gas piping. The cathode gas discharge passage includes a cathode exhaust valve, upstream cathode off-gas piping and downstream cathode off-gas piping. The cathode gas supply passage and the cathode gas discharge passage are connected with each other by cathode bypass piping and are integrated with each other by joining the cathode supply valve with the upstream cathode off-gas piping.

Piping unit for fuel cell, fuel cell unit equipped with piping unit and fuel cell system

An object is to provide a fuel cell system having a simple structure, which is capable of supplying gas appropriately through an ejector in accordance with the load of a fuel cell. The fuel cell system () uses an ejector () disposed in a gas supply system () to combine a new gas to be supplied to the fuel cell () with an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell () and supply the fuel cell () with the resulting combined gas. The ejector () includes a nozzle () for ejecting the new gas and generating a negative pressure for aspirating the off-gas, and a flow rate control mechanism () for controlling the flow rate of the new gas which passes through the nozzle (). A first flow path () for leading the off-gas to the flow rate control mechanism () is provided in the gas supply system (), and the flow rate control mechanism () controls the flow rate of the new gas in accordance with the pressure of the off-gas led from the first flow path ().

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Takashi Mishima