摘要:
A separator plate for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having excellent conductivity and moldability is provided. The separator plate is injection molded, using different compounds for molding the portion that requires conductivity and the portion that does not require conductivity. The separator plate comprises: an electronic conductor portion containing conductive carbon; and an insulating portion surrounding the electronic conductor portion. The electronic conductor portion has a first flow channel of a gas or cooling water on one side and has a second flow channel of a gas or cooling water on the other side.
摘要:
A step as deep as or deeper than a gas flow channel is provided on the gas-flow-channel-side periphery of each manifold aperture in a conductive separator plate. The step preferably comprises a taper so as to be deep on the manifold aperture side.
摘要:
To realize a polymer electrolyte fuel cell with an increased level of safety by providing a method for easily and accurately detecting a cross leak or a micro short-circuit resulting from the initial failure or the deterioration of durability, specifically, by providing a method for operating a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising a stack of unit cells, each of the cells comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, a pair of electrodes sandwiching the polymer electrolyte membrane, and electroconductive separators, which generates electricity with the supply of a fuel gas containing hydrogen to one of the electrodes and an oxidant gas containing oxygen to the other of the electrodes, in which an electric output of a single cell or a group of cells is checked after the stoppage of the supply of the fuel and oxidant gases to detect a defective cell or a defective group of cells in the fuel cell.
摘要:
A highly reliable polymer electrolyte fuel cell is provided at low costs by using a sealing member that is compact and has excellent gas tightness. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes an anode-side separator plate and a cathode-side separator plate that are provided with an anode-side sealing member and a cathode-side sealing member, respectively. These anode-side and cathode-side sealing members seal the cell in cooperation with a polymer electrolyte membrane at sealing parts where the anode-side and cathode-side sealing members are opposed to each other, thereby preventing gas from leaking out of gas flow channels. One of the anode-side and cathode-side sealing members has a pointed rib that comes in contact with the sealing parts in a linear manner, and the other sealing member comes in contact with the sealing parts surface to surface.
摘要:
A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises a cell stack comprising a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies and a plurality of conductive separator plates that are stacked alternately, each of the membrane electrode assemblies comprising a hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, and an anode and a cathode sandwiching the polymer electrolyte membrane. The conductive separator plate is formed of a molded plate comprising a carbon powder and a binder, the conductive separator plate having a main portion (16C) which is raised from a peripheral portion (17C) surrounding the main portion, the main portion being in contact with the anode or the cathode and being provided with a gas flow path (18) for supplying a fuel gas to the anode or a gas flow path for supplying an oxidant gas to the cathode.
摘要:
The invention aims at providing a fuel cell capable of highly efficient and stable operation, by eliminating the flooding caused by condensed water and generated water during low-load operation, and by inhibiting the increase in the pressure drop at high loads. A fuel cell that does not flood, particularly during low-load operation, in accordance with the invention is realized by forming multiple independent gas flow channels having independent inlet-side and outlet-side manifold holes in the separator surface, and by connecting these in series or in parallel. This connection can be obtained through switching means characterised in that: the inlets and outlets of such switchable channel means are maintained in both operational modes in a manner that in both operational modes the switchable channel means are fed by their fluid in the same direction of circulation.
摘要:
A fuel cell having high operation performance and reliability is provided by optimizing the shape and properties of a gas diffusion layer and the dimensions of a gas flow channel. The fuel cell is capable of evenly supplying a reaction gas to the catalyst of a catalyst layer and promptly discharging excessive water generated therein. The gas diffusion layer of the MEA of this fuel cell comprises a first section having a surface A that comes in direct contact with a separator plate and a second section having a surface B that faces the gas flow channel of the separator plate. The porosity of the first section is lower than the porosity of the second section, and the second section protrudes into the gas flow channel. The gas flow channel has sufficient width and depth for the protrusion of the gas diffusion layer, and the width of a rib formed by the gas flow channel is sufficiently narrow.
摘要:
End plates of a fuel cell are conventionally made by cutting metal plates. Therefore, they have problems in that it is difficult to reduce their cost, and they are inconveniently heavy, and they are likely to be corroded by supplied gases and cooling water since they contact such gases and water at inside surfaces of manifold holes of the metal end plates. According to the present invention, the end plates are made of a resin-dominant material, more preferably by injection-molding such material, so that it becomes possible to reduce the cost and weight of the end plates, and the corrosion resistance can be greatly improved by insert-molding the current collecting plates in such a manner that the end plate material extends into a manifold hole of each current collecting plate.
摘要:
A fuel cell having high operation performance and reliability is provided by optimizing the shape and properties of a gas diffusion layer and the dimensions of a gas flow channel. The fuel cell is capable of evenly supplying a reaction gas to the catalyst of a catalyst layer and promptly discharging excessive water generated therein. The gas diffusion layer of the MEA of this fuel cell comprises a first section having a surface A that comes in direct contact with a separator plate and a second section having a surface B that faces the gas flow channel of the separator plate. The porosity of the first section is lower than the porosity of the second section, and the second section protrudes into the gas flow channel. The gas flow channel has sufficient width and depth for the protrusion of the gas diffusion layer, and the width of a rib formed by the gas flow channel is sufficiently narrow.