Fuel cell stack and fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10522866-B2
Application number	US-201314377740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2013
Priority date	Feb 9, 2012
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A fuel cell stack obtained by stacking a plurality of fuel cells has an internal manifold that extends in a stacking direction of the fuel cells to externally discharge a gas used in the fuel cell, and an extension member that adjoins an inner wall surface of the internal manifold and extends in the stacking direction. The extension member is a bar-shaped member provided in an opposite side to a side where a gas from the fuel cells flows to the inside of the internal manifold and has a sloping surface making an acute angle with an inner-wall lower surface of the internal manifold.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell stack obtained by stacking a plurality of fuel cells, comprising:
an internal manifold that extends in a stacking direction of the fuel cells to externally discharge a gas used in the fuel cell; and
an extension member that adjoins an inner wall surface of the internal manifold and extends in the stacking direction,
wherein the extension member is a bar-shaped member provided in an opposite side to a side where a gas from the fuel cells flows to the inside of the internal manifold and has a straight sloping surface formed to slope down within a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction of the plurality of fuel cells, the sloping surface making an acute angle with an inner-wall lower surface of the internal manifold, and has an upper side surface, an outer side surface and a lower side surface arranged to abut an inner-wall upper surface, an inner-wall outer-side surface and an inner-wall lower surface, respectively, of the internal manifold, and
wherein the straight sloping surface slopes down continuously from the upper side surface to the lower side surface within the plane perpendicular to the stacking direction of the plurality of fuel cells.

2. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 , wherein the extension member has a cushioning member in a portion adjoining an inner wall surface of the internal manifold.

3. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 , wherein the extension member has a low frictional member in a portion adjoining an inner wall surface of the internal manifold.

4. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio occupied by the extension member inside the internal manifold is reduced toward an outlet port of the internal manifold.

5. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plate having a communicating hole that is provided in an outer side in the stacking direction of the fuel cells and communicates with the internal manifold,
wherein the extension member extends to the communicating hole of the plate, and a deviation suppressing portion that suppresses the extension member from being deviated in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction is provided inside the communicating hole of the plate.

6. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 , wherein the extension member is provided in each of an internal manifold for externally discharging an anode gas and an internal manifold for externally discharging a cathode gas.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Iwasaki Daigo
• Nishimura Hidetaka
• Chikugo Hayato
• Shimoi Ryoichi
• Ichihara Keiji

Classifications

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/242 Primary

  comprising framed electrodes or intermediary frame-like gaskets (H01M8/2425, H01M8/244 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04291

  Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems (H01M8/04119 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/2484

  characterised by external manifolds · CPC title