Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yohei Hidaka

Toshikatsu Katagiri

Masahiko Sato

Hideo Kato

Hideharu Naito

Masaharu Suzuki

Katsumi Hayashi

Shigeru Inai

Kazunori Fukuma

Ryo Jinba

Kenji Nagumo

Toshiya Wakahoi

Masahiro Matsutani

Kazuyoshi Miyajima

Nariyuki Yoshinaga

So Fujiwara

Kaoru Fukui

Hiromoto Ikada

Satoshi Iitaka

An end plate of a fuel cell stack is directly fixed to a humidifier. A resin pipe is attached to an oxygen-containing gas outlet of an end plate through a resin coupling pipe. The resin pipe includes one end having a large diameter and the other end having a small diameter. The other end is provided at an off gas supply channel of the humidifier. The off gas supply channel includes an inclined channel. The other end extends up to an end of the inclined channel where inclination of the inclined channel is started. An off gas ejection port is formed at the other end. The off gas ejection port is opened to the end of the inclined channel where inclination is started. Condensed water returned along the inclined channel flows from the off gas ejection port into the resin pipe.

Fuel cell stack coupled to a humidifier via an inclined channel

A hollow-fiber membrane module for moisture exchange including a tubular outer case, a tubular inner case, plural hollow-fiber membranes, sealing portions, an inlet, an outlet, a first flow path, a second flow path, and a tubular porous member. The inner case is coaxially contained in the outer case so as to have a space therebetween. The hollow-fiber membranes are filled in the space and extend in the axial direction. The sealing portions are provided to both ends of the space so as to fix the plural hollow-fiber membranes and to seal the space. The first flow path extends from one end side of the hollow-fiber membranes to the other end side via insides of the hollow-fiber membranes. The second flow path extends from the inlet to the outlet via outsides of the hollow-fiber membranes in the space. The tubular porous member is inserted between the hollow-fiber membranes.

Hollow-fiber membrane module for moisture exchange

A control device of a fuel cell system sets a required output of a fuel cell stack that is required according to a present power demand and predicts the required output and the current according to the temperature of the fuel cell stack from a predetermined output state map that is preset. The control device sets an operation state quantity according to the predicted current and the temperature of the fuel cell stack from a predetermined operation state quantity map that is preset. The control device includes at least one of a pressure at an air supply port of air that is supplied to the cathode electrode of the fuel cell stack, a utilization rate of the air at the cathode electrode, a flow rate of a cooling medium that cools the fuel cell stack, and humidity of the air at the air supply port as the operation state quantity.

Fuel cell system

In a humidifier including a hollow fiber membrane bundle housed in a case, the hollow fiber membranes exchange water therethrough between the first and second gases flowing inside and outside the hollow fiber membrane to humidify one of the first and second gases having the water content lower than the other, and an annular mesh member throttles a part near the gas outlet of the second gas to provide a space between the part and the gas outlet of the second gas to easily discharge the second gas.

Humidifier

A fuel cell stack is provided with a plurality of stacked separators. This fuel cell stack includes: terminals that extend from the separators; packing in which are formed a plurality of through holes through which the terminals are inserted; a packing casing that has a packing housing concave portion that envelops side surfaces of the packing and supports a bottom surface of the packing, and has through holes through which the terminals are inserted; and a connector housing that has a pressing surface that presses a top surface of the packing. Mountain-shaped protruding portions whose apex portions are formed by circumferential edges of apertures of the respective through holes are provided on the top surface of the packing, and the pressing surfaces of the connector housing are formed in a configuration that conforms to the side surfaces of the protruding portions. Internal surfaces of the through holes in the packing are in contact without a gap in between with external surfaces of the terminals. The sealing performance in extraction portions of terminals that are used for cell voltage detection is improved.

Fuel cell stack

A fuel cell stackincludes a stacked structurecomposed of a plurality of electricity-generating cells stacked successively, and dummy cells arranged at both ends in a stacking direction of the stacked structure. Each dummy celleach includes a conductive plateand first and second metallic separatorswhich sandwich the conductive plate. The conductive plateis formed of a metallic plate having substantially the same shape as that of the electrolytic membrane electrode assembly. The first and second metallic separatorsare structured in the same manner as the first and second metallic separatorsof the electricity-generating cell

Fuel cell stack with dummy cell

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Yohei Hidaka