Power generation cell with reduced pressure loss between reactant gas passage and reactant gas flow field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10784524-B2
Application number	US-201816108460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2018
Priority date	Aug 25, 2017
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

A first metal separator of a power generation cell includes boss pairs. Each of the boss pairs includes two first bosses provided adjacent to a hole and adjacent to each other between a passage bead and an oxygen-containing gas flow field. A gap facing the hole is formed between the two first bosses. The second metal separator includes one second boss facing the boss pair through a resin film. The second boss extends over the two first bosses as viewed in a separator thickness direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power generation cell comprising:
a resin film equipped MEA including a membrane electrode assembly and a resin film provided on an outer end of the membrane electrode assembly; and
metal separators provided on both sides of the resin film equipped MEA, respectively, the power generation cell being formed by stacking the resin film equipped MEA and the metal separators together,
wherein each of the metal separators comprises a reactant gas flow field configured to allow a reactant gas to flow along an electrode surface of the membrane electrode assembly, a reactant gas passage connected to the reactant gas flow field and penetrating through the metal separators in a separator thickness direction, and a passage bead provided for sealing, around the reactant gas passage and protruding in the separator thickness direction, and
wherein one of the metal separators includes a hole connected to an internal space of the passage bead connected to the reactant gas passage, and a boss pair comprising two first bosses provided adjacent to the hole and adjacent to each other between the passage bead and the reactant gas flow field,
a gap facing the hole is formed between the two first bosses,
another of the metal separators includes one second boss facing the boss pair through the resin film, and
the second boss extends over the two first bosses as viewed in the separator thickness direction.

2. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein an area of a top part of the second boss is larger than a total area of top parts of the two first bosses.

3. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein the second boss has an oval shape or an ellipse shape in a plan view.

4. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein a connection channel configured to connect the reactant gas passage and the reactant gas flow field is provided between the reactant gas passage and the hole, and
the connection channel is formed between the one of the metal separators and the other of the metal separators.

5. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein the passage bead of the other of the metal separators facing the passage bead connected to the hole of the one of the metal separators, through the resin film, does not have any hole connecting the reactant gas flow field and the reactant gas passage provided in the other of the metal separators.

6. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein the one of the metal separators including the two first bosses is a separator including a fuel gas flow field on a same surface as a surface where the boss pair is provided, for allowing a fuel gas to flow along a first electrode surface, and
the other of the metal separators including the second boss is a separator including an oxygen-containing gas flow field on a same surface as a surface where the second boss is provided, for allowing an oxygen-containing gas to flow along a second electrode surface.

7. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the boss pairs are provided in the one of the metal separators, and a plurality of the second bosses are provided in the other of the metal separators.

8. The power generation cell according to claim 7 ,
wherein the plurality of the boss pairs are arranged in a straight line as viewed in the separator thickness direction, and
the plurality of the second bosses are arranged in a straight line in the separator thickness direction.

9. The power generation cell according to claim 1 , wherein the one of the metal separators includes an outer tunnel protruding from the passage bead toward the gap, and connected to the internal space of the passage bead, and
the hole is provided at a protruding end of the outer tunnel.

10. The power generation cell according to claim 9 , wherein a distance between the gap and the hole is shorter than a protruding length of the outer tunnel from the passage bead.

11. The power generation cell according to claim 9 , wherein a width of the gap is smaller than a width of the outer tunnel.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tomana Yu
• Ishida Kentaro

Classifications

• H01M8/0254

  corrugated or undulated · CPC title

• H01M8/0232

  Metals or alloys · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/1007

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0276

  Sealing means characterised by their form (H01M8/0273 takes precedence) · CPC title