Fuel cell stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10930964-B2
Application number	US-201615384112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Dec 25, 2015
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A fuel cell stack includes a pair of end plates disposed on opposing sides of a fuel cell stacked body in a first direction, a coupling bar that bridges between the end plates, a fastening member that connects the end plates and the coupling bar in the first direction, and a cylindrical knock disposed inside an end plate side mounting hole and a coupling bar side mounting hole of the end plates and the coupling bar in the first direction, and being externally fitted to the fastening member inside the end plate side mounting hole and the coupling bar side mounting hole. A first seal member in close contact with at least an inner circumferential surface of the end plate side mounting hole and the fastening member is disposed in a portion located between the cylindrical knock and the fastening member inside the end plate side mounting hole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell stack comprising:
a fuel cell stacked body in which a plurality of fuel cells are stacked in a first direction;
a casing that houses the fuel cell stacked body;
a pair of end plates that constitute a part of the casing and are disposed on opposing sides of the fuel cell stacked body in the first direction;
a coupling bar that bridges between the pair of end plates;
a fastening member that connects an end plate of the pair of end plates and the coupling bar in the first direction;
a cylindrical knock that is disposed inside both an end plate side mounting hole and a coupling bar side mounting hole to which the fastening member is inserted in the first direction, and is externally fitted to the fastening member inside the end plate side mounting hole and the coupling bar side mounting hole, the cylindrical knock being longer in the first direction than a length of the coupling bar side mounting hole;
a second seal member that is externally fitted to the cylindrical knock inside the end plate side mounting hole, and is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the end plate side mounting hole and the cylindrical knock; and
a third seal member that is externally fitted to the cylindrical knock inside the bar side mounting hole, and is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the coupling bar side mounting hole and the cylindrical knock,
wherein the second seal and third seal members are spaced apart in the first direction and a boundary portion between the end plate and the coupling bar is located between the second seal member and the third seal member in the first direction,
wherein first and second housing grooves for the corresponding second and third seal members are respectively provided on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical knock,
wherein the first housing groove and the second housing groove are spaced apart in the first direction,
wherein a region of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical knock between the first housing groove and the second housing groove in the first direction is located at the boundary portion between the end plate and the coupling bar,
wherein the second seal member is configured to block a release of a reaction gas from the boundary portion along the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical knock to an outside of the end plate,
wherein the third seal member is configured to block the release of the reaction gas from the boundary portion along an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical knock to the outside of the end plate,
wherein an outer circumferential surface of the fastening member is in continuous surface abutment with the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical knock along the entire inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical knock,
wherein the end plate side mounting hole has an end plate side large-diameter portion located on the outside in the first direction, and an end plate side small-diameter portion connected to the inside of the end plate side large-diameter portion in the first direction,
the coupling bar side mounting holes has a coupling bar side large-diameter portion located on the outside in the first direction, and a coupling bar side small-diameter portion connected to the inside of the coupling bar side large-diameter portion in the first direction, and
the length of the cylindrical knock in the first direction is equal to the total length of the end plate side small-diameter portion and the coupling bar side large-diameter portion in the first direction.

2. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 ,
wherein the fastening member is fixed to the coupling bar by being screwed into the coupling bar.

3. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 ,
wherein said coupling bar comprises a screw part; and
wherein the cylindrical knock is disposed between a washer for the fastening member and the screw part of the coupling bar in the first direction.

4. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 ,
wherein the coupling bar side mounting hole has an inner diameter that is equal to an inner diameter of the end plate side mounting hole.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Naito Hideharu
• Nara Yusuke

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/2475 Primary

  Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• Y02T90/40

  Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/24 Primary

  Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title