Fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018145352-A1
Application number	US-201715800850-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	Nov 22, 2016
Publication date	May 24, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell includes stacked power cells and an end cell. Each power cell includes a first plate and two first separators sandwiching the first plate. The end cell includes a second plate and two second separators sandwiching the second plate. Through holes formed in each plate and each separator form a power generating gas inlet passage extending in the power cells. The end cell has at least one of a “first structure,” in which a bottom wall of the through hole of the second plate or an upstream one of the second separators is downwardly recessed compared to corresponding portions of the power cells, and a “second structure,” in which a bottom wall of the through hole of the second plate or a downstream one of the second separators upwardly projects compared to corresponding portions of the power cells.

First claim

1 . A fuel cell comprising:
a plurality of stacked power generation cells, wherein each power generation cell includes a first plate including a membrane electrode assembly, a first pair of separators sandwiching the first plate, and a first flow passage formed between the first plate and the first pair of separators to allow a power generating gas to pass through; at least one end cell located at an end in a stacking direction of the power generation cells, wherein the end cell includes a second plate, a second pair of separators sandwiching the second plate, and a second flow passage formed between the second plate and the second pair of separators to allow the power generating gas to pass through; and an inlet passage formed by through holes formed in the first pair of separators, the first plate, the second pair of separators, and the second plate, wherein the inlet passage extends in the stacking direction and distributes the power generating gas to the first flow passage and the second flow passage so that the power generating gas flows into the first flow passage and the second flow passage, wherein the end cell has at least one of a “first structure” and a “second structure,” in the “first structure,” at least one of the through hole formed in one separator of the second pair of separators located at an upstream side in a gas flow direction and the through hole formed in the second plate has a bottom wall that is downwardly recessed compared to a corresponding portion of each power generation cell, and in the “second structure,” at least one of the through hole formed in the second plate and the through hole formed in one separator of the second pair of separators located at a downstream side in the gas flow direction has a bottom wall that upwardly projects compared to a corresponding portion of each power generation cell.

2 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the end cell located at an end in the stacking direction has a gas supply passage connected thereto to allow the power generating gas to flow into the inlet passage from outside the inlet passage and has at least one of the “first structure” and the “second structure.”

3 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the end cell has the “second structure,” and at least one of the bottom wall of the through hole formed in the second plate and the bottom wall of the through hole formed in the one separator of the second pair of separators located at the downstream side in the gas flow direction is located above a maximum water level of water entering the inlet passage.

4 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the second flow passage of the end cell includes a plurality of branch passages individually communicated to the inlet passage, and a lower one of the branch passages has a smaller pressure loss than an upper one of the branch passages.

5 . The fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein in the end cell, an end portion of the lower one of the branch passages located toward the inlet passage has an upper end located above a maximum water level of water entering the inlet passage.

Assignees

• Toyota Auto Body Co Ltd
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kondo Takashi
• Hashimoto Keiji
• Kanno Daisuke

Classifications

• H01M8/241

  with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/0202

  Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors · CPC title

• H01M8/0258 Primary

  characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04156 Primary

  with product water removal · CPC title