Fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method and fuel-cell-stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016133948-A1
Application number	US-201414901136-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 2, 2014
Priority date	Jul 22, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method, includes arranging an extension portion extended from a proximal end of a raised piece on one surface of a base material disposed so as to abut at least one of a cathode side separator and the anode side separator, and setting an interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along a lamination direction so that deformation of the raised piece exceeds an elastic deformation region and enters a plastic deformation region, and is also in a region in which the proximal end moved due to the deformation does not come in contact with the cathode side separator or the anode side separator.

First claim

1 . A fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method, the fuel-cell-stack including
a separator unit comprising an anode side separator and a cathode side separator, a deformation absorption member disposed between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator, and comprising a thin-board-like base material, and a plurality of raised pieces raised from one surface of the base material in a grid pattern, and a membrane electrode assembly adjacent to the separator unit, and formed by joining an anode and a cathode so as to face an electrolyte membrane, the method comprising: arranging an extension portion extended from a proximal end of a raised piece of the raised pieces on the one surface of the base material to be disposed so as to abut at least one of the cathode side separator and the anode side separator, and setting an interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along a lamination direction so that deformation of the raised piece exceeds an elastic deformation region and enters a plastic deformation region, and is also in a region in which the proximal end moved due to the deformation does not come in contact with the cathode side separator or the anode side separator.

2 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the setting deforms the raised piece via the cathode side separator and the anode side separator which sandwich the raised piece.

3 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , wherein the setting plastically deforms the raised piece at the same time as assembly.

4 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to any claim 1 , wherein the setting subjects the raised piece to further plastic deformation by a pressure increase accompanying at least one of warming and humidifying that is executed after assembly.

5 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 4 , wherein the raised piece is subjected to further plastic deformation while reducing the distance of the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along the lamination direction to within a range of the plastic deformation region, by supplying a heated medium to the separator unit and expanding the separator unit.

6 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 4 , wherein the raised piece is subjected to further plastic deformation while reducing the distance of the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along the lamination direction to within a range of the plastic deformation region, by supplying a medium to the membrane electrode assembly to humidify and expand the membrane electrode assembly.

7 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 6 , wherein the medium is humidified to a higher dew point than a temperature of a use state.

8 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 4 , further comprising
at least one of a thermoplastic and a thermosetting sealing member hermetically sealing outer peripheral edges of at least the separator unit and the membrane electrode assembly, and the raised piece being subjected to further plastic deformation while reducing the distance of the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along the lamination direction to within a range of the plastic deformation region, by expending at least the separator unit following the heating to cure the sealing member.

9 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 4 , wherein pressure applied to the interval between the anode side separator and the membrane electrode assembly and pressure applied to the interval between the cathode side separator and the other membrane electrode assembly are configured to be higher than pressure applied to the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator in which is disposed the deformation absorption member.

10 . A fuel-cell-stack, comprising:
a separator unit comprising an anode side separator and a cathode side separator; a deformation absorption member disposed between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator, and comprising a thin-board-like base material, and a plurality of raised pieces that are raised from one surface of the base material in a grid pattern, each raised piece of the raised pieces having an extension portion extended from the proximal end thereof disposed so as to be abutted to at least one of the cathode side separator and the anode side separator; and a membrane electrode assembly adjacent to the separator unit, and being formed by joining an anode and a cathode so as to face an electrolyte membrane, the anode side separator and the cathode side separator being arranged while applying a load so that deformation of the raised piece exceeds an elastic deformation region and enters a plastic deformation region, and is also in a region in which the proximal end that is moved due to the deformation will not contact the cathode side separator or the anode side separator.

11 . The fuel-cell-stack according to claim 10 , wherein each raised piece comprises a curved portion, which is curved protruding in a convex shape toward a direction separating from at least one of the cathode side separator and the anode side separator, in a region between the proximal end and the extension portion.

12 . The fuel-cell-stack according to claim 11 , wherein
the curved portion includes a load supporting point configured to support a load received from at least one of the anode side separator and the cathode side separator, on a side that opposes at least one of the anode side separator and the cathode side separator, and the load supporting point is configured to be moved to the extension portion side along with the deformation of the raised piece.

13 . The fuel-cell-stack according to claim 10 , wherein the distance of the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along a lamination direction is configured to be within the range of the plastic deformation, including when the separator unit expands with the heat generated by the membrane electrode assembly, and when the membrane electrode assembly is expanded after absorbing a medium supplied from the outside.

14 . The fuel-cell-stack according to claim 10 , wherein dimensional tolerance of the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along a lamination direction is at least greater than a sum of dimensional tolerance along the lamination direction, when the separator unit expands with the heat generated by the membrane electrode assembly, and the membrane electrode assembly is expanded after absorbing a medium supplied from outside.

15 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to any claim 2 , wherein the setting subjects the raised piece to further plastic deformation by a pressure increase accompanying at least one of warming and humidifying that is executed after assembly.

16 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to any claim 3 , wherein the setting subjects the raised piece to further plastic deformation by a pressure increase accompanying at least one of warming and humidifying that is executed after assembly.

17 . The fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method according to claim 5 , wherein the raised piece is subjected to further plastic deformation while reducing the distance of the interval between the anode side separator and the cathode side separator along the lamination direction to within a range of the plastic deformation region

Assignees

• Nissan Motor
• Nhk Spring Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukuyama Yosuke
• Shiomi Takeshi
• Terada Yusuke
• Tajima Norihiro

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M8/2404

  Processes or apparatus for grouping fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/026 Primary

  characterised by grooves, e.g. their pitch or depth · CPC title

• H01M8/0267

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title

• H01M8/2483

  characterised by internal manifolds · CPC title