Fuel battery stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11217814-B2
Application number	US-201615766028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2016
Priority date	Oct 6, 2015
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

A fuel battery stack is provided with: hole portions formed in a coolant supplying manifold; cylindrical collar members provided in the hole portions; and fastening bolts inserted in the cylindrical collar members and screwed in a second end plate. On the inner circumferential surface of each of the hole portions, a plurality of projections that support the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical collar member are provided so as to protrude radially inward.

First claim

What is claim is:

1. A fuel cell stack including a plurality of power generation cells, wherein each of the power generation cells comprises a membrane electrode assembly and a separator that are stacked together, the membrane electrode assembly includes an electrolyte membrane and electrodes provided on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, the power generation cells are stacked together in a stacking direction into a stack body, end plates are provided at both ends of the stack body in the stacking direction, and one of the end plates has a resin fluid manifold configured to allow a coolant, a fuel gas, or an oxygen-containing gas as fluid to flow through the resin fluid manifold;
the fuel cell stack comprising:
a first hole with a plurality of projections formed in the resin fluid manifold, the plurality of projections of the first hole being in contact with an outer circumferential surface of a first cylindrical collar member that is provided in the first hole, wherein the first hole defines a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical collar member and the resin fluid manifold, the gap having a circular arc shape extending along a circumferential direction of the first cylindrical collar member;
a second hole without projections formed in the resin fluid manifold, the second hole being arranged between the first hole and the one of the end plates, and an inner circumferential surface of the second hole is spaced from the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical collar member; and
a first tightening bolt inserted into the first cylindrical collar member and screwed into the one of the end plates,
wherein, in a state where the resin fluid manifold is coupled tightly to the one of the end plates, a first space is formed between a manifold side facing surface of the resin fluid manifold that faces the one of the end plates and an end plate side facing surface of the one of the end plates that faces the resin fluid manifold,
the first cylindrical collar member protrudes from the manifold side facing surface toward the end plate side facing surface to form the first space,
wherein the resin fluid manifold comprises:
a manifold base member adjacent to the one of the end plates; and
a manifold cover member fixed to and overlapped with the manifold base member, a fluid channel being formed between the manifold base member and the manifold cover member,
wherein an outer marginal portion of the manifold cover member includes a flange in which the first hole is formed, and
an outer marginal portion of the manifold base member includes the second hole and a base side facing surface that faces the flange of the manifold cover member,
a second space is formed between the base side facing surface and the flange,
the flange of the manifold cover member includes a third hole in which a second cylindrical collar member is provided,
the second cylindrical collar member is shorter than the first cylindrical collar member in the stacking direction, and protrudes from the third hole toward the manifold base member to form the second space, and
the manifold base member is fixed to the manifold cover member by a second tightening bolt inserted into the second cylindrical collar member.

2. The fuel cell stack according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the spaces has a size in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takahashi Motohiro
• Kondo Jun
• Ikeo Mitsuru
• Sato Hiromitsu

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/241

  with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/2485 Primary

  Arrangements for sealing external manifolds; Arrangements for mounting external manifolds around a stack · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/1004

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title