Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Matshushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Yasushi Sugawara

Makoto Uchida

Eiichi Yasumoto

Junji Morita

Hideo Ohara

Teruhisa Kanbara

Hisaaki Gyoten

Kazuhito Hatoh

Akihiko Yoshida

Toshihiro Matsumoto

Osamu Sakai

Takahiro Umeda

Soichi Shibata

Kazufumi Nishida

Yasuo Takebe

Nobuo Eda

Yuko Fukuoka

Yoshihiro Hori

Shinya Kosako

Takayuki Urata

Yoichiro Tsuji

Hiroki Kusakabe

Junji Niikura

Masao Yamamoto

Takeshi Yonamine

Kouji Nakagawa

Masaki Yamauchi

Shinsuke Takeguchi

Masataka Ozeki

Akinari Nakamura

Masato Hosaka

Yukiyoshi Ono

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Takashi Morimoto

Hidenobu Wakita

Keiichi Yamamoto

Tomohiro Kuroha

Mitsuo Yoshimura

Tsutomu Kawashima

Hiroshi Ishikawa

Takeou Okanishi

Miyuki Yoshimoto

Yasutomo Funakoshi

Shinichi Arisaka

Masayo Sugou, Legal Representative

Shigeyuki Unoki

Keiichi Iiyama

Satoshi Otani

Atsushi Nakayama

Norihisa Yoshimoto

Yukinobu Kitano

Yoshikazu Ip Development Center Tanaka

Yoshikazu c/o Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd Tanaka

Kazufumi Room 202 Haitsu-Nishiguchi Nishida

Kazuhito Room 714 Suminodou Paaku-Haitsu Hatoh

Hideo Room A-402 Ohara

A fuel cell gas diffusion layer includes a porous member containing electrically-conductive particles and polymeric resin as major components, and a plurality of holes extending from a main surface of the fuel cell gas diffusion layer are formed.

Fuel cell gas diffusion layer and method of manufacturing same

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the present invention includes: a unit cell including a membrane-electrode assembly and a pair of separators; a manifold; a gas introducing member; and a first member. A recess is formed at a gas lead-out port side of the gas introducing member so as to be connected to the gas lead-out port. The first member is provided such that a communication portion thereof communicates with the manifold. The gas introducing member is provided such that: the recess communicates with the communication portion; and when viewed from a thickness direction of the polymer electrolyte membrane, the gas lead-out port and a main surface of the first member overlap each other.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell with a recess is formed downstream of a gas lead-out port

A close attachment region is provided on the outer side relative to an outer edge portion of a gas diffusion layer and on the inner side relative to the inner edge portion of a gasket as seen from the thickness direction of a polymer electrolyte membrane, such that separators and a frame member are closely attached to each other. Thus, it becomes possible to suppress an increase in the manufacturing cost and a reduction in the power generation performance, which is attributed to the impurity eluted from the gasket and flowing toward the gas diffusion layer.

Fuel cell

A fuel cell cogeneration system of the present invention includes: a cell (); a fuel gas discharging manifold () which is formed to extend in a thickness direction of the cell () and through which an anode off gas unconsumed in an anode (A) flows; an oxidizing gas discharging manifold () which is formed to extend in the thickness direction of the cell () and through which a cathode off gas unconsumed in a cathode (B) flows; and a cooling medium discharging manifold () which is formed to extend in the thickness direction of the cell () and through which an off cooling medium having recovered heat from the cell () flows, and the fuel gas discharging manifold () and/or the oxidizing gas discharging manifold () are formed between the cooling medium discharging manifold () and a separator end closest to the cooling medium discharging manifold ().

Fuel cell stack and fuel cell cogeneration system including the same

A fuel cell power generation system including a fuel cell, a fuel generator, an oxidizing gas supply device, an output controller, an open-close mechanism, and a controller. The controller is configured such that in a stop process, the controller controls the output controller to stop supplying the electric power to an external load; controls the oxidizing gas supply device to stop supplying an oxidizing gas and controls the open-close mechanism to close a passage upstream from an oxidizing gas channel; after the passage upstream from the oxidizing gas channel is closed, stops a raw material gas supply device and a water supply device when a predetermined period has elapsed, during which period a gas in the oxidizing gas channel is replaced by a fuel gas.

Fuel cell power generation system and operation stop method of the same

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 fuel cell system of the present invention includes: a fuel cell () having an electrolyte membrane (), an anode () and a cathode () sandwiching the electrolyte membrane (), a cathode gas passage () through which an oxidizing gas is supplied to and discharged from the cathode (), and an anode gas passage () through which a fuel gas is supplied to and discharged from the anode (); a fuel gas channel having an anode gas passage () and through which the fuel gas is supplied to and discharged from the anode (); and an oxidizing gas channel having the cathode gas passage () and through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to and discharged from the cathode (). When the fuel cell system stops generating electric power, the fuel gas channel and the oxidizing gas channel are closed, and a gas is supplied from a downstream side of the cathode gas passage () to an oxidizing gas filled space () which is practically isolated from outside by closing the oxidizing gas channel and includes the cathode gas passage ().

Fuel cell system with controlled stop process for a shut-down operation

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.

Fuel cell system

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 method of operating a fuel cell capable of suppressing degradation of a fuel cell caused by starting and stopping of the fuel cell, including carrying out a restoring operation by decreasing a voltage of the cathode following termination of the fuel cell.

Method of operating fuel cell system and fuel cell system

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

The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having an increased reaction area by forming a gas channel, a proton channel and an electron channel very close to each other inside a catalyst layer. This polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; and a pair of electrodes having catalyst layers sandwiching the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane between them and gas diffusion layers in contact with the catalyst layers, in which the catalyst layer of at least one of the electrodes comprises carbon particles supporting a noble metal catalyst, and the carbon particles include at least two kinds of carbon particles adsorbing a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte in mutually different dispersed states.

Method for manufacturing polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly, a pair of conductive separator plates sandwiching the electrolyte membrane of the electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly, and a pair of sealing means sealing between the electrodes of the electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly and the separator plates. The pair of sealing means is constituted by combination of a flat sealing member having a flat portion in flat contact with the electrolyte membrane and of a linear sealing member having a rib in linear contact with the electrolyte membrane, and at least part of the rib is in the form of falling in the direction to the electrode when the electrolyte membrane, the pair of electrodes and the pair of separator plates are stacked to be cramped. This makes it possible for the fuel cell to have an excellent sealing property and a stable output characteristic.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell

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Higashiosaka, Japan

Yasushi Sugawara