Fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12586807-B2
Application number	US-202217940896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2022
Priority date	Jun 23, 2020
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

A fuel cell including: a fuel cell stack; a pair of end plates holding the fuel cell stack by tightening from both ends; and a plurality of gas manifolds fixed to the fuel cell stack and end plates with the sealing members therebetween to supply fuel and oxidant to each of fuel gas flow paths and oxidant gas flow paths of the fuel cell stack, the fuel cell includes: a gas manifold fixing band including: hold plates installed in contact with a back of the gas manifold; a hold plate connecting part connecting the hold plates installed on the backs of adjacent gas manifolds; and a band-tightening part connecting and tightening both ends of a series of hold plates and the hold plate connecting part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell including:
a fuel cell stack being constituted by stacking a plurality of unit cells formed by an anode electrode and a cathode electrode arranged on each side of an electrolyte, and a separator arranged in contact with each of the anode electrode and the cathode electrode and having a fuel gas flow path and an oxidant gas flow path; a pair of end plates for holding the fuel cell stack by tightening from both ends; a plurality of gas manifolds being fixed to the fuel cell stack and the end plates with sealing members therebetween to supply fuel and oxidant, respectively, to each of the fuel gas flow paths and the oxidant gas flow paths of the fuel cell stack; and a gas manifold fixing band comprising:
hold plates being each installed in contact with each of backs of the gas manifolds;
a hold plate connecting part for connecting the hold plates installed on the backs of adjacent gas manifolds with each other; and
a band-tightening part for connecting and tightening both ends of a series of the hold plates and the hold plate connecting part,
wherein, when the gas manifold fixing band is tightened, each of the gas manifolds does not move horizontally against the contact surface with the sealing member, and each of the hold plate moves against each of the gas manifolds, and thereby force that presses each of the gas manifolds toward the fuel cell stack is generated.

2 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the hold plate connecting part is formed by a thin plate-shaped member that deforms when tightened by the band-tightening part, and each of the hold plates is formed by a plate-shaped member that is thicker and more rigid than the hold plate connecting part.

3 . The fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein
each of the hold plates is longer than the back of each of the gas manifolds with which each of the hold plates is in contact, and the hold plate connecting part is not in contact with each of the gas manifolds.

4 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a frictional resistance reducing unit provided between at least one of the gas manifolds and at least one of the hold plates, configured to reduce frictional resistance between the back of at least one of the gas manifolds and at least one of the hold plates.

5 . The fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein
the frictional resistance reducing unit is protruding parts that are provided at the back of at least one of the gas manifolds to reduce a contact area between the back of the at least one of the gas manifolds and at least one of the hold plates.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Kikuchi Isamu

Classifications

• H01M8/248 Primary

  Means for compression of the fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/2484

  characterised by external manifolds · CPC title

• H01M8/2485 Primary

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