Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki

Toru Bisaka

Hideyuki Tanaka

Akira Aoto

Yutaka Hotta

Hiroaki Nishiumi

Susumu Oda

Shunichi Shibasaki

Shin Nishida

Kazuo Ishikawa

Fumihiko Ishiguro

Syuji Hirakata

Hirohisa Kato

Tomohiro Yamagami

Yusuke Shimoyana

Akio Matsuura

An exhaust gas processing device () intermittently introduces anode off-gas from a fuel cell (). The exhaust processing device () discharges the anode off-gas after diluting it with dilution gas. The exhaust gas processing device () includes a dilution container () and a partition plate (), which divide the interior of the dilution container () into a first chamber () and a second chamber (). The partition plate () has a clearance (), which connects the first chamber () and the second chamber () to each other. The exhaust gas processing device () includes a discharge portion () provided in the first chamber (), a dilution gas inlet portion () provided in the first chamber (), and an anode off-gas inlet portion () provided in the second chamber ().

Device and method for processing exhaust gas from fuel cell

A fuel cell system includes an exhaust pipe through which anode purge gas is discharged into the atmosphere, a heat medium passage through which heat medium is flowed, a circulation pump for circulating the heat medium through the heat medium passage, a heat exchanger provided in the heat medium passage, a heat exchanger fan for generating airflow through the heat exchanger, and a guide by which the airflow is guided so as to diffuse the anode purge gas. The circulation pump and the heat exchanger fan are operated during anode purge in such a way that the heat exchanger fan is operated regardless of the heat medium temperature, and a flow rate of the heat medium flowing through the heat medium passage is zero or lower than a flow rate when output of a fuel cell is maximum.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling the same

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, a gas-liquid separator, a tank, an outlet pipe, and an inlet pipe is disclosed. The gas-liquid separator separates off-gas discharged from the fuel cell into water and gas. The tank is capable of containing water separated by the gas-liquid separator. The outlet pipe discharges gas, which is separated by the gas-liquid separator, from the gas-liquid separator. The outlet pipe has a venturi. The inlet pipe draws the water contained in the tank into the venturi. The water contained in the tank is drawn through the inlet pipe into the venturi to be atomized and discharged as atomized water from the outlet pipe.

Fuel cell system

A housing case that houses a fuel cell is provided with mounts for fixing two ends of a lower surface of an end plate that retains stacked unit cells of the fuel cell, and a mount for fixing a central portion of a lower surface of another end plate. Using these three mounts, the fuel cell is fixed to the housing case.

Fuel cell mounting structure

The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell stack with improved corrosion resistance of metal separators and reduced cost. To attain this object, the fuel cell stack according to the present invention has a cell stack constituted by stacking a prescribed number of unit cells obtained by sandwiching both surfaces of an electrolyte membrane between an anode and a cathode and sandwiching the outer sides thereof with a pair of metal separators, wherein the metal separator positioned on the plus side of the cell stack is subjected to surface treatment providing for relatively higher corrosion resistance than the metal separator positioned on the minus side of the cell stack. Cost reduction can be realized, while maintaining corrosion resistance comparable with that obtained in the case when all the separators are subjected to the anticorrosive surface treatment to the same degree.

Fuel cell stack

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cell monitor connector having a pair of terminals is connected to a fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cells each having two separators. One terminal of the pair of terminals is caused to contact a first fuel cell at one of the two separators of the first fuel cell, and the other terminal of the pair of terminals is caused to contact a second fuel cell located adjacent to the first fuel cell at one of the two separators of the second fuel cell having the same polarity as the one of the separators of the first fuel cell, whereby an interval of the pair of terminals can be widened.

Connecting structure of a cell monitor connector to a fuel cell stack

Fuel cell

A fuel cell apparatus is formed by connecting four stacks via a supply/discharge box. A cooling water supply opening and a cooling water discharge opening are short-circuited by a cable so as to eliminate the electric potential difference therebetween. To avoid hindrance of gas flow due to water droplets, a drain port for discharging water droplets is provided near a fuel gas discharge opening of the supply/discharge box. Each stack is formed by clamping end plates disposed on opposite ends of stacked cells through the use of upper and lower tension plates. The thus-formed fuel cell apparatus is housed in an outer case that has a sealed construction for preventing penetration of foreign substances. Thus, the apparatus achieves a size reduction and an improvement in practicality.

Fuel cell apparatus

A fuel cell apparatus includes a stack of fuel cells, first and second end plates disposed at opposite ends of the stack of fuel cells to press the stack of fuel cells and being connected by a fastening member, and a pressure plate disposed inboard of the first end plate. A concave portion is formed at an inboard surface of the first end plate and a convex portion is formed at an outboard surface of the pressure plate. The convex portion contacts the concave portion. The first and second end plates are coupled to the fastening member (or, a tension plate) by a serration and a bolt. An adjusting portion is formed in the first end plate, and the concave portion is formed in the adjusting portion. A load variance decreasing mechanism is disposed in series with the contact portion of the convex portion and the concave portion. A recess is formed in an electrical insulator disposed inboard of the pressure plate, and the pressure plate is disposed in the recess. The convex portion may include a spherical surface or a cylindrical surface. The load variance decreasing mechanism may include a plurality of sets of coned disk springs disposed in series with each other. The fuel cell apparatus may include an attaching member constituting a portion of the fuel cell apparatus and attaching the fuel cell apparatus to a vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Kariya, Japan

Toru Bisaka