Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080292930 | FUEL CELL - A first metal separator of one of adjacent power generation cells and a second metal separator of the other of the adjacent power generation cells are directly stacked together to form a coolant flow field. The first metal separator has a press line protruding toward the coolant flow field, between a fuel gas flow field and an inlet buffer. The second metal separator has a press line protruding toward the coolant flow field, between an oxygen-containing gas flow field and an inlet buffer. The press lines contact each other to limit flow of the coolant into a back surface buffer. | 11-27-2008 |
20080292941 | FUEL CELL - An oxygen-containing gas supply passage and an oxygen-containing gas discharge passage extend through a set of diagonal positions of a first metal separator, and a fuel gas supply passage and a fuel gas discharge passage extend through the other set of diagonal positions of the first metal separator. A fuel gas flow field is connected to the fuel gas supply passage through an inlet buffer at an upper position, and connected to the fuel gas discharge passage through an outlet buffer at a lower position. The inlet buffer includes a first inlet buffer area adjacent to the fuel gas supply passage and a second inlet buffer area adjacent to the fuel gas flow field. Grooves of the first inlet buffer area are deeper than grooves of the second inlet buffer area in the stacking direction. | 11-27-2008 |
20090042088 | Fuel Cell - A fuel cell according to the present invention includes a power generation unit. The power generation unit is formed by stacking a first metal separator, a first membrane electrode assembly, a second metal separator, a second membrane electrode assembly, and a third metal separator. The number of flow grooves in a first oxygen-containing gas flow field is different from the number of flow grooves in a second oxygen-containing gas flow field. The first oxygen-containing gas flow field and the second oxygen-containing gas flow field have the same length, and the flow grooves in the first oxygen-containing gas flow field and the flow grooves in the second oxygen-containing gas flow field have the same depth. | 02-12-2009 |
20090148738 | Fuel cell - A first separator has an outlet side first connection channel connecting a first fuel gas flow field and a fuel gas discharge passage, and a second separator includes an outlet side second connection channel connecting a second fuel gas flow field and the fuel gas discharge passage. The outlet side first connection channel and the outlet side second connection channel include outer passages and outer passages arranged in the same plane formed by facing the first separator and the second separator. The outer passages and the outer passages are formed alternately and independently in the same plane. | 06-11-2009 |
20100203425 | FUEL CELL AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME - A first separator to which a resin film is joined beforehand is set in a cavity formed between a lower die and an upper die of an injection molding machine. At the time of die locking by moving the upper die toward the lower die, in the case where the total thickness of the resin film and the first separator is larger than a predetermined dimension, the resin film is pressed by the lower die or the upper die, and thus, the resin film is deformed by compression within its elastic deformation range. | 08-12-2010 |
20110053031 | FUEL CELL - A fuel cell includes a plurality of power generation cells each having a first separator. The separator has a fuel gas flow field. A fuel gas supply passage extends through one corner of the power generation cell in the stacking direction, a fuel gas flowing through the fuel gas supply passage into a fuel gas flow field. An inlet buffer is provided upstream of the fuel gas flow field. The fuel gas supply passage and the inlet buffer are connected by a plurality of inlet connection grooves. The inlet connection grooves are inclined from a direction perpendicular to a wall surface of the fuel gas supply passage toward the center of the fuel gas flow field. | 03-03-2011 |
20110070516 | SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELL - A fuel cell is formed by sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly between a first separator and a second separator. The membrane electrode assembly includes a cathode, an anode, and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between the cathode and the anode. In the membrane electrode assembly, a catalyst area of an electrode catalyst layer of the cathode and an electrode catalyst layer of the anode terminates at a position spaced upwardly from lower ends of an oxygen-containing gas flow field and a fuel gas flow field. | 03-24-2011 |
20110097641 | FUEL CELL STACK - A fuel cell stack. A fuel cell stack, an example of the fuel cell stack, is configured by alternately overlaying first electricity generating units and second electricity generating units in the horizontal direction. The first electricity units each provided with a first fuel gas flow path, a first oxidant gas flow path, a second fuel gas flow path, and a second oxidant gas flow path, and the flow paths are set to the same phase in the overlaying direction. The second electricity generating units are each provided with a first fuel gas flow path, a first oxidant gas flow path, a second fuel gas flow path, and a second oxidant gas flow path which are set to the same phase in the overlaying direction and are set to a phase different from the phase of the flow paths of the first electricity generating units. | 04-28-2011 |
20110159395 | FUEL CELL STACK - There has been a problem that the cell units cannot bear the load exerted on the units while being stacked since a fuel cell stack including a refrigerant channel formed between cell units each having an even number of electrolyte/electrode structures (MEA) and metal separators which are alternated does not have any structure supporting the separators forming the refrigerant channel in a stacking direction. In order to solve the above problem, in each of a first power generating unit and a second power generating unit, projections formed at the buffer portions of the separators are disposed in the same positions in the stacking direction with the MEA interposed therebetween. Since between the first and second power generating units, the projections of the buffer portions are staggered, the projections of the first and second power generating units are thereby disposed in the same positions in the stacking direction. | 06-30-2011 |
20110274999 | FUEL CELL STACK - A fuel cell stack is comprised of a plurality of power generating units which are stacked along the horizontal direction. A corrugated passage groove having a shape corresponding to the shape of the underside surface of a corrugated passage groove of a first fuel gas passage is formed in a surface of a first metal separator. A corrugated passage groove having a shape corresponding to the shape of the underside surface of a corrugated passage groove of a second oxidant gas passage is formed in a surface of a third metal separator. The corrugated passage grooves overlap one another to define a refrigerant passage. An oxidant gas inlet port and a fuel gas inlet port are provided in the upper portion of the power generating unit, and an oxidant gas outlet port and a fuel gas outlet port are provided in the lower portion of the power generating unit. A refrigerant inlet port and a refrigerant outlet port are formed in each of the left and right portions of the power generating unit. | 11-10-2011 |
20120282539 | FUEL CELL - Disclosed is a fuel cell in which an electrolyte membrane-electrode structure is held between the first separator and a second separator. The electrolyte membrane-electrode structure comprises a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, a cathode-side electrode and an anode-side electrode. An end portion of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane projects outwardly beyond end portions of gas diffusion layers, and the both surfaces of the end portion of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane are held between the first protective film and a second protective film. The thickness of the first protective film is set to be thinner than the thickness of the second protective film. | 11-08-2012 |