Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Takuro Okubo

Suguru Ohmori

Shuhei Goto

Kentaro Ishida

Satoshi Oyama

Akihito Giga

Masayuki Katsuno

Suguru Omori

Yuki Otani

Each of a fuel cell and a fuel cell stack includes an anode discharge passage connected to one end of a fuel gas flow field in the horizontal direction and configured to discharge a fuel gas in a stacking direction in which a membrane electrode assembly and separators are stacked, and a cathode discharge passage connected to another end of an oxygen-containing gas flow field in the horizontal direction and configured to discharge an oxygen-containing gas in the stacking direction. A bottom portion of a lowermost cathode discharge passage is provided below a bottom portion of a lowermost anode discharge passage.

Fuel cell and fuel cell stack

A first separator member forming a power generation cell, which is a fuel cell, includes a first separator body. A first support bead, which is formed to be lower in height than a first seal bead and restricts the inclination of the first seal bead, is provided outside a first seal in the first separator body. The width of the first support bead varies depending on the position of the first support bead in the direction in which the first support bead extends.

Separator member and fuel cell

A first outer peripheral seal in a first metal separator of a fuel cell stack includes a first peripheral metal bead. A first bypass stopper is provided in a space between a first end ridge and a first outer peripheral seal. The first bypass stopper prevents bypassing of an oxygen-containing gas by blocking part of the space. A gap is provided between the first bypass stopper and the first metal bead of a first outer peripheral seal. The gap separates the first bypass stopper from the first metal bead.

Metal separator and fuel cell stack

A fuel cell has a tunnel protruding from a passage bead seal toward a passage to thereby allow an internal space of the passage bead seal to communicate with the passage, and an extending portion located on a side of the tunnel so as to extend from the passage bead seal toward the passage, the extending portion being lower in height than the tunnel.

Fuel cell

A first metal separator includes a seal bead protruding from a base plate. The seal bead includes a curved section having a curved shape in a plan view of the first metal separator. The combination of the radius of curvature and the angle of the curved section is set within a specific zone where variation in a seal surface pressure in a direction in which the seal bead extends is suppressed.

Fuel cell metal separator and power generation cell

A separator is stacked on each of both surfaces of a membrane electrode assembly to form a fuel cell. This separator includes a base part extending in the form of a surface, and a bead continuous with the base part and protruding from the base part in a stacking direction. The bead includes, in plan view, a straight section extending straight and a curved section continuous with the straight section and curved from the straight section. In the separator, the height from the base part to a top part of the curved section is configured to be lower than the height from the base part to a top part of the straight section.

Separator and method of producing separator

A passage bead seal of a fuel cell joint separator includes a straight portion and curved portions. An oxygen-containing gas bridge section connecting the inside and the outside of a portion surrounded by a passage bead seal includes inner tunnels and outer tunnels coupled to an inner side wall and an outer side wall of a straight portion, and protruding in a separator thickness direction. The tunnel height is determined to be smaller than the bead seal height by not less than a predetermined value in a manner that a line pressure applied by a compression load to a front end surface of the straight portion becomes the same as a line pressure applied by the compression load to a front end surface of the curved portion.

Fuel cell separator and power generation cell

In a fuel cell separator member of a fuel cell stack, a first metal bead and first ribs are formed integrally with and protruded from a surface of the first metal separator. Each of the first ribs includes a first rib body and two first retracted portions. The protruding height of each of the two first retracted portions is smaller than the protruding height of the first rib body.

Fuel cell separator member and fuel cell stack

A fuel cell joint separator includes a passage bead and an outer bead. In a dual seal section where the passage bead and the outer bead extend next to each other, a ridge protruding from one surface of a metal separator is formed integrally with the metal separator, between the passage bead and the outer bead. The height of the ridge is smaller than the height of the bead seal compressed by the tightening load. A joining line is provided between the outer bead and the ridge.

Fuel cell joint separator and fuel cell

A fuel cell separator member of a fuel cell stack includes a metal separator on which a seal bead is formed, and a pressure receiving member provided on a surface of the metal separator, separately from the metal separator. The pressure receiving member is provided along a seal bead, and the height of the pressure receiving member is lower than the height of the seal bead in the state where the tightening load is applied and no impact load is applied.

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Wako, Japan

Takuro Okubo