Fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11063270-B2
Application number	US-201816044846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; a frame member which surrounds the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; and a pair of separators with the frame member and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly sandwiched therebetween. The separators include a manifold hole through which a reaction gas is supplied or discharged. The frame member includes a manifold opening which communicates with the manifold hole, an in-plane opening in which the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly is disposed, a gas flow path which communicates with the in-plane opening and the manifold opening, a seal portion which is welded to the separators around the gas flow path, and an accommodation portion which is provided between the seal portion and the gas flow path to accommodate a material of the frame member caused to flow by welding.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell comprising:
a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly;
a frame member which surrounds the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; and
a pair of separators with the frame member and the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly sandwiched between the separators, wherein:
the separators include a manifold hole through which a reaction gas is supplied or discharged; and
the frame member includes:
a manifold opening which communicates with the manifold hole,
an in-plane opening in which the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly is disposed,
a gas flow path which communicates with the in-plane opening and the manifold opening, an entirety of the gas flow path being in a form of a through-hole,
a seal portion which is welded to the separators around the gas flow path, and
an accommodation portion which is provided between the seal portion and the gas flow path, an entirety of the accommodation portion being in the form of a through-hole, wherein:
the accommodation portion is not in fluid communication with the in-plane opening,
each of the gas flow path and the accommodation portion comprises a slit extending from the manifold opening toward the in-plane opening,
a length of the accommodation portion in a first extension direction in which the accommodation portion extends is shorter than a length of the gas flow path in a second extension direction in which the gas flow path extends,
the accommodation portion is positioned on one or more sides of the gas flow path and is parallel to the gas flow path, and
a material of the frame member caused to flow by the welding is accommodated in the accommodation portion.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein a first end of the accommodation portion is in fluid communication with the manifold opening.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein, in a third direction intersecting a second extension direction of the gas flow path, an interval between the gas flow paths adjacent to each other is the same as a width of the gas flow path.

4. The fuel cell according to claim 3 , wherein, in the third direction intersecting the second extension direction of the gas flow path, the width of the gas flow path is the same as a width of the accommodation portion.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanno Daisuke
• Yamagata Yoshihiro

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/2483

  characterised by internal manifolds · CPC title

• H01M8/0297

  Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other (H01M8/0271 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0273 Primary

  with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame · CPC title

• H01M8/0247

  characterised by the form (characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258) · CPC title