Fuel cell and fuel cell system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9281528-B2
Application number	US-74196609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2009
Priority date	Mar 31, 2008
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a first reactive gas channel that is provided on a first surface side of the electrolyte membrane; a second reactive gas channel that is provided on a second surface side of the electrolyte membrane; and a coolant channel. The coolant channel is configured such that a flow direction of the first reactive gas flowing in the first reactive gas channel is opposite to a flow direction of the second reactive gas flowing in the second reactive gas channel, and a downstream portion of the flow of at least one of the first and second reactive gases, in a plane of the electrolyte membrane, is cooled from the central portion within the plane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell comprising:
an electrolyte membrane;
an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer that are provided on respective surfaces of the electrolyte membrane:
a fuel gas channel disposed on a side of the anode catalyst layer;
an oxidizing gas channel disposed on a side of the cathode catalyst layer;
a coolant channel in which a coolant flows; and
a rectangular separator, wherein
the separator includes openings that are formed at outer edge portions on first sides opposite each other, and used to supply a fuel gas to the fuel gas channel and to discharge the fuel gas from the fuel gas channel, respectively,
the separator includes openings that are formed at the outer edge portions on the first sides, and used to supply an oxidizing gas to the oxidizing gas channel and to discharge the oxidizing gas from the oxidizing gas channel, respectively,
the separator includes a first inlet port that is formed at one end portion of a second side, a second inlet port that is formed at the other end portion of the second side and used to supply the coolant to the coolant channel, and outlet ports that are formed at central portions of the second side, and used to discharge the coolant from the coolant channel, the outlet ports being between the one end portion of the second side and the other end portion of the second side,
a flow direction of the fuel gas flowing in the fuel gas channel is opposite to a flow direction of the oxidizing gas flowing in the oxidizing gas channel,
the coolant channel is configured to cause a coolant flow between each of the first inlet port and the second inlet port and the outlet ports to curve in a U-shape, whereby a downstream portion of the flow of the fuel gas and upstream portion of the flow of the oxidizing gas, in planes of the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer, are cooled more than a central portion of the flow of the fuel gas and a central portion of the flow of the oxidizing gas within the planes, respectively; and
the coolant channel is configured to cool both of the downstream portion of the flow of the fuel gas and a downstream portion of the flow of the oxidizing gas.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
a channel formation portion that causes a coolant flow to curve between the inlet ports and outlet ports is formed in the coolant channel.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 2 , wherein
the channel formation portion has a sand spit shape protruding from the side of the separator toward the central portions.

4. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of channel formation portions that guide the coolant from the inlet ports to the outlet ports are formed in the coolant channel, and a spacing between the adjacent channel formation portions is small in the central portions of the separator and large in outer edge portions.

5. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the inlet ports and the outlet ports are provided respectively on opposing sides of the separator.

6. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the coolant channel includes a first coolant channel adjacent to the fuel gas channel and a second coolant channel that is provided separately from the first coolant channel and adjacently to the oxidizing gas channel, the flow direction of the fuel gas is opposite to a flow direction of the coolant flowing in the first coolant channel, and the flow direction of the oxidizing gas is opposite to a flow direction of the coolant flowing in the second coolant channel.

7. A fuel cell system, comprising:
the fuel cell according to claim 1 ;
a reactive gas supply portion that supplies the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas; and
a coolant supply portion that supplies the coolant, wherein
the electrolyte membrane is wetted by causing moisture contained in the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas to condensate by cooling a downstream portion of at least one of the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas flows with the coolant channel, without providing a humidifying module for humidifying the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas.

8. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the outlet ports include a first outlet port and a second outlet port, and
the coolant channel is configured to cause a coolant flow between the first inlet port and the first outlet port and a coolant flow between the second inlet port and the second outlet port to each curve in the U-shape, whereby the downstream portion of the flow of the fuel gas and the upstream portion of the flow of the oxidizing gas, in planes of the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer, are cooled more than a central portion of the flow of the fuel gas and a central portion of the flow of the oxidizing gas within the planes, respectively.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first inlet port and the second inlet port are each provided at one of the upstream portion and the downstream portion of each of the flows of the oxidizing gas and the fuel gas.

Assignees

• Goto Sogo
• Futami Satoshi
• Shibata Kazunori
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Goto Sogo
• Futami Satoshi
• Shibata Kazunori

Classifications

• H01M8/0267 Primary

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

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04126

  Humidifying · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04029 Primary

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title