Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Takayuki Urata

Soichi Shibata

Junji Morita

Yasushi Sugawara

Takahiro Umeda

Kazuhito Hatoh

Akinari Nakamura

Toshihiro Matsumoto

Hideo Ohara

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Hiroki Kusakabe

Shinsuke Takeguchi

Nobuhiro Hase

Yoichiro Tsuji

Makoto Uchida

Masataka Ozeki

Akinori Yukimasa

Shinya Kosako

Katsuzou Kokawa

Akihiko Yoshida

Eiichi Yasumoto

Osamu Sakai

Takeshi Tomizawa

Izuo Hirota

Shigeki Yasuda

Hideki Omori

Koichi Kusumura

Hideo Kasahara

Hidekazu Yamashita

Shinji Kondoh

Takahisa Tsuji

Naruaki Akai

Kiyoyoshi Takada

Youji Uetani

Mitsuhiro Sano

Akihiro Umeda

Masafumi Sadahira

Tetsuo Obata

Kunihiro Tsuruta

Shuzo Tokumitsu

Yasuharu Otsuka

Yukinobu Kitano

Jun Oe

Nakamura Akinari

Yoshikazu Ip Development Center Tanaka

Yoshikazu c/o Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd Tanaka

A fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a reformer () configured to generate a hydrogen-containing fuel gas from a material gas and steam; a fuel cell () configured to generate electric power by using a fuel gas supplied from the reformer (); a water tank () configured to store water; a water utilizing device configured to utilize the water supplied from the water tank (); a first water supply unit () disposed on a water passage () extending from the water tank () to the water utilizing device and configured to supply the water in the water tank () to the water utilizing device; and a purifier () disposed on the water passage () and configured to purify the water flowing through the water passage (), and the purifier () is provided such that when a water level of the water tank () is a full water level, the purifier () is filled with the water by the weight of the water.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell; a fuel gas supplying unit supplying the fuel gas into the fuel cell on the anode side thereof; an oxidizing agent gas supplying unit supplying the oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell on the cathode side thereof; a raw material gas supplying unit supplying the raw material gas into the fuel cell; and a controlling unit controlling the supply of the fuel gas, the oxidizing agent gas and the raw material gas. After switching the output of electric power or the fuel cell off, the fuel gas supplying unit suspends the supply of the fuel gas, the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit suspends the supply of the oxidizing agent gas and the raw material gas supplying unit supplies the raw material gas into the fuel cell to purge the fuel cell on the cathode side.

Fuel cell system and method for stopping operation of fuel cell system

A hydrogen generator of the present invention includes: a reformer () including a reforming catalyst (A) containing nickel and configured to generate a hydrogen-rich fuel gas by using a raw material and steam; a temperature detector () configured to detect a temperature of the reforming catalyst (A); a purge gas supplying device () configured to supply a purge gas to the reformer (); and a controller (). When the temperature detected by the temperature detector () is a first predetermined temperature or higher, the controller () purges the reformer () with the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supplying device ().

Hydrogen generator and method for operating the same

A fuel cell includes: cells (), each of which includes an electrolyte layer-electrode stack assembly () having a electrolyte layer () and a pair of gas diffusion electrodes () sandwiching a portion of the electrolyte layer () which portion is located on an inner side of a peripheral portion of the electrolyte layer (), an annular peripheral member disposed at the peripheral portion of the electrolyte layer (), a pair of electrically conductive separators (A,B) which sandwich the electrolyte layer-electrode stack assembly () and the peripheral member, and damage detecting wires (); and a fuel cell stack () formed by stacking the cells (), wherein: the damage detecting wires () are formed on components constituting the cell () other than the electrolyte layer-electrode stack assembly (); and the damage detecting wires () are connected to one another to form an open circuit by stacking the cells ().

Fuel-cell and fuel cell system including the same

In a fuel cell system, during the state where the fuel cell system is not generating an electric power, a fuel gas passage and an oxidizing gas passage are closed, and an inert gas supply device () supplies an inert gas to an anode space () which is substantially isolated from outside, the anode space including the closed fuel gas passage and a space connected to the closed fuel gas passage, while an air supply device () supplies air to a cathode space () which is substantially isolated from outside, the cathode space including the closed oxidizing gas passage and a space connected to the closed oxidizing gas passage. With this, the fuel cell system is capable of achieving high energy efficiency and of surely preventing degradation of electrodes during the state where the fuel cell system is not generating the electric power, irrespective of repeated start-up and stop.

Problems of acceleration of drying of electrolyte membrane and local reaction, etc. can be properly coped with to attain the stabilization of performance of fuel cell. There are provided a fuel cellwhich generates electric power from a fuel gas and an oxidizing agent gas, a fuel gas feed pipeand a first switch valveas fuel gas supplying unit which supplies the said fuel gas into the said fuel cell on the anode side thereof, an oxidizing gas supplying pipeand a second cut-off valveas oxidizing agent gas supplying unit which supplies the said oxidizing agent into the said fuel cell on the cathode side thereof, a raw material gas supplying pipeand a third switch valveas raw material gas supplying unit which supplies raw material of the said fuel gas into the fuel cell and a control portionwhich controls the supply of the said fuel gas, the supply of the said oxidizing agent and the supply of the said raw material and the control portioncontrols during the starting of electricity generation of the fuel cellsuch that the said raw material gas supplying unit purges the fuel cellat least on the cathode side thereof with the said raw material gas before the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit and the fuel gas supplying unit supply the fuel gas and the said oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell, respectively.

Fuel cell system, method of starting fuel cell system

To provide a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in which a reaction gas can be utilized efficiently for an electrode reaction even when a gap is formed between an anode-side sealing member and the end face of an anode and between a cathode-side sealing member and the end face of a cathode, and sufficient power generation performance can be ensured with a simple constitution. At least one of the anode-side sealing member and the cathode-side sealing member of the fuel cell includes an annular body, and at least one deformable protruding portion provided on the inner surface of the annular body.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell and fuel cell sealing member for the same

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that is subjected to a purge operation of supplying an inert gas to an anode and/or cathode upon shut-down of the fuel cell. The differential pressure &#x394;P is defined as &#x394;P=Pa&#x2212;Pc where Pa is the pressure in an inlet-side flow path leading to the anode and Pc is the pressure in an inlet-side flow path leading to the cathode. The differential pressure during the purge operation is controlled such that the differential pressure during operation &#x394;Po and the differential pressure during the purge operation &#x394;Pp satisfy the relation: 0&#x3c;&#x394;Po&#xd7;&#x394;Pp. This makes it possible to reduce the stress exerted on a solid electrolyte membrane and improve the long-term reliability of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system with differential pressure control

A highly reliable polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes an anode-side separator plate and a cathode-side separator plate that are provided with an anode-side sealing member and a cathode-side sealing member, respectively. The anode-side and cathode-side sealing members seal the cell in cooperation with a polymer electrolyte membrane at sealing parts where the anode-side and cathode-side sealing members are opposed to each other, thereby preventing gas from leaking out of gas flow channels. One of the anode-side and cathode-side sealing members has a pointed rib that comes in contact with the sealing parts in a linear manner, and the other sealing member comes in contact with the sealing parts surface to surface.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A separator plate for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having excellent conductivity and moldability is provided. The separator plate is injection molded, using different compounds for molding the portion that requires conductivity and the portion that does not require conductivity. The separator plate comprises: an electronic conductor portion containing conductive carbon; and an insulating portion surrounding the electronic conductor portion. The electronic conductor portion has a first flow channel of a gas or cooling water on one side and has a second flow channel of a gas or cooling water on the other side.

Separator plate for polymer electrolyte fuel cell and polymer electrolyte fuel cell using the same

A fuel cell having high operation performance and reliability is provided by optimizing the shape and properties of a gas diffusion layer and the dimensions of a gas flow channel. The fuel cell evenly supplies a reaction gas to the catalyst of a catalyst layer and promptly discharges excessive water generated therein. The gas diffusion layer of the MEA comprises a first section having a surface A coming in direct contact with a separator plate and a second section having a surface B facing the gas flow channel of the separator plate. The porosity of the first section is lower than the porosity of the second section, and the second section protrudes into the gas flow channel, which has sufficient width and depth for the protrusion of the gas diffusion layer, and the width of a rib formed by the gas flow channel is sufficiently narrow.

Fuel cell

In this vacuum heat insulator, an excellent heat insulating performance is obtained even at high temperature, and this excellent heat insulating performance is maintained for a long period. The hot insulating device and electric water heater using this vacuum heat insulator exhibit an excellent hot insulating performance, and are decreased in the power consumption for hot insulation. The vacuum heat insulator includes a laminate bag, and an insulating core placed in the laminate bag, and the inside of the laminate bag is evacuated in a vacuum state. The laminate bag is made of a laminate film. The laminate film includes a support layer, a deposition layer evaporated on the surface of the support layer, a protective layer placed at the surface side of the deposition layer, and a seal layer placed at the back side of the deposition layer. The deposition layer is formed of at least one material of metal and metal oxide. In this laminate film, (i) the support layer has a plastic film having a glass transition point of 87&#xb0; C. or higher, (ii) the protective layer has a plastic film having a glass transition point of 87&#xb0; C. or higher, (iii) the deposition layer has a property of transmitting high frequency magnetic field, or (iv) the laminate bag has a seal portion formed by junction of the seal layer, and the laminate film further as a metal foil placed at a position excluding the seal portion.

Vacuum heat insulator, hot insulating device using vacuum heat insulator, and electric water heater

A heating apparatus includes a heating element having a conductor, at least a part of which is an electrically closed circuit along which an eddy current flows; a container for accommodating the heating element; a magnetic field induction section for induction-heating the heating element; and a high frequency power supply device for supplying high frequency power to the magnetic field induction section. The heating element is induction-heated by an AC magnetic field generated by the magnetic field induction section.

Induction heating of heating element

A steam iron of the present invention is aimed at spraying a stable steam by repressing deposit of scale when producing the steam, and at reducing the scale that adheres to clothes by miniaturizing the scale particles. The steam iron includes a scale deposit repressing device for repressing the deposit of scale by dissolving phosphatic compound into water in a water tank that stores the water for supply to a vaporization chamber.

Steam iron with scale deposit repression

Growing community of inventors

Hyogo, Japan

Takayuki Urata