Separator for fuel cell, fuel cell and method of manufacturing fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016380277-A1
Application number	US-201615263528-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2016
Priority date	Sep 16, 2010
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A separator for fuel cell includes a corrugated portion formed to have a corrugated cross section where a first groove that is concave to a first surface to form a flow path for a first fluid on the first surface and a second groove that is concave to a second surface opposite to the first surface to form a flow path for a second fluid on the second surface are arranged alternately and repeatedly. Each of the second grooves has at least one shallower groove section formed to have a less depth from the second surface than depth of a remaining groove section and provided to form a communication flow channel on the first surface side, which is arranged to communicate between two flow path spaces for the first fluid that are adjacent to each other across the shallower groove section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A separator for fuel cell, comprising:
a corrugated portion formed to have a corrugated cross section where a first groove that is concave to a first surface to form a flow path for a first fluid on the first surface and a second groove that is concave to a second surface opposite to the first surface to form a flow path for a second fluid on the second surface are arranged alternately and repeatedly, wherein each of the second grooves has at least one shallower groove section formed to have a less depth from the second surface than depth of a remaining groove section and provided to form a communication flow channel on the first surface side, which is arranged to communicate between two flow path spaces for the first fluid that are adjacent to each other across the shallower groove section, the shallower groove section included in each of the second grooves is formed at a position aligned with the shallower groove section included in another adjacent second groove, and the shallower groove section is formed to have a cross section with a larger curvature radius or a greater draft angle on a downstream side of flow of the first fluid in the communication flow channel than a curvature radius or a draft angle on an upstream side.

2 . A separator for fuel cell, comprising:
a corrugated portion formed to have a corrugated cross section where a first groove that is concave to a first surface to form a flow path for a first fluid on the first surface and a second groove that is concave to a second surface opposite to the first surface to form a flow path for a second fluid on the second surface are arranged alternately and repeatedly, wherein each of the second grooves has at least one shallower groove section formed to have a less depth from the second surface than depth of a remaining groove section and provided to form a communication flow channel on the first surface side, which is arranged to communicate between two flow path spaces for the first fluid that are adjacent to each other across the shallower groove section, the shallower groove section included in each of the second grooves is formed at a position aligned with the shallower groove section included in another adjacent second groove, and the shallower groove section is formed to have a cross section with a smaller curvature radius or a smaller draft angle on a downstream side of flow of the first fluid in the communication flow channel than a curvature radius or a draft angle on an upstream side.

3 . The separator according to claim 1 , wherein
a combination of the first fluid and the second fluid is a combination of two out of a fuel gas, an oxidizing gas and a coolant.

4 . The separator according to claim 2 , wherein
a combination of the first fluid and the second fluid is a combination of two out of a fuel gas, an oxidizing gas and a coolant

5 . The separator according to claim 1 , wherein the first fluid is a coolant.

6 . The separator according to claim 2 , wherein the first fluid is a coolant.

7 . The separator according to claim 1 ,
the separator being formed in an approximately rectangular planar shape, wherein a first opening for defining a manifold for the first fluid and a second opening for defining a manifold for the second fluid are formed in proximity to two outer circumferential sides that are opposed to each other across the corrugated portion of the separator.

8 . The separator according to claim 2 ,
the separator being formed in an approximately rectangular planar shape, wherein a first opening for defining a manifold for the first fluid and a second opening for defining a manifold for the second fluid are formed in proximity to two outer circumferential sides that are opposed to each other across the corrugated portion of the separator.

9 . The separator according to claim 5 , wherein
the first surface of the corrugated portion is subjected to at least one of film-coating treatment to enhance corrosion resistance in a specific area of the first groove adjacent to the shallower groove section, water repellent treatment to enhance water repellency in the specific area of the first groove adjacent to the shallower groove section, and hydrophilic treatment to enhance hydrophilicity in the shallower groove section.

10 . The separator according to claim 6 , wherein
the first surface of the corrugated portion is subjected to at least one of film-coating treatment to enhance corrosion resistance in a specific area of the first groove adjacent to the shallower groove section, water repellent treatment to enhance water repellency in the specific area of the first groove adjacent to the shallower groove section, and hydrophilic treatment to enhance hydrophilicity in the shallower groove section.

11 . A fuel cell, comprising:
a power generation layer including an electrolyte membrane, an anode formed on one side of the electrolyte membrane and a cathode formed on the other side of the electrolyte membrane; and the separators according to claim 1 that are placed across the power generation layer.

12 . A fuel cell, comprising:
a power generation layer including an electrolyte membrane, an anode formed on one side of the electrolyte membrane and a cathode formed on the other side of the electrolyte membrane; and the separators according to claim 2 that are placed across the power generation layer.

13 . The fuel cell according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a detector configured to determine that a pressure loss in the flow path for the first fluid is less than a predetermined threshold value and thereby detect an abnormality in the flow path for the first fluid, wherein the first fluid is a coolant.

14 . The fuel cell according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a detector configured to determine that a pressure loss in the flow path for the first fluid is less than a predetermined threshold value and thereby detect an abnormality in the flow path for the first fluid, wherein the first fluid is a coolant.

15 . A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, the fuel cell comprising: a power generation layer including an electrolyte membrane, an anode formed on one side of the electrolyte membrane and a cathode formed on the other side of the electrolyte membrane; and the separators according to claim 5 that are placed across the power generation layer, the method comprising the steps of:
exposing the first surface of the first groove in the separator to a coolant; and
stacking the separator and the power generation layer, after the exposing step.

16 . A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, the fuel cell comprising: a power generation layer including an electrolyte membrane, an anode formed on one side of the electrolyte membrane and a cathode formed on the other side of the electrolyte membrane; and the separators according to claim 6 that are placed across the power generation layer, the method comprising the steps of:
exposing the first surface of the first groove in the separator to a coolant; and
stacking the separator and the power generation layer, after the exposing step.

17 . A fuel cell, comprising:
a plurality of power generation layers, each including an electrolyte membrane, an anode formed on one side of the electrolyte membrane and a cathode formed on the other side of the electrolyte membrane; the separator according to claim 1 that is located on an anode side of each of the power generation layers; and a second separator in a flat plate-like shape that is located on a cathode side of each of the p

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okabe Hiroki
• Nakaji Hiroya
• Yoshida Makoto
• Hamada Shigetaka
• Kurihara Takuya
• Sato Kenji
• Tanaka Hideaki
• Nakagaki Nobuhiko
• Ueda Junji
• Kinoshita Katsuhiko

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/241

  with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/026

  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

• H01M8/1018

  Polymeric electrolyte materials · CPC title