Fuel-cell-stack manufacturing method and manufacturing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627706-B2
Application number	US-201414782806-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2014
Priority date	Apr 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A method is provided for manufacturing a fuel-cell stack that has a laminate including of a plurality of fuel cells that are laminated together. In each of these fuel cells, an MEA has an anode and a cathode joined respectively to the two sides of an electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between a pair of separators. The aforementioned method has the following steps: a sealing member layout step, in which fuel cells with sealing members applied at least between adjacent fuel cells are laminated together, forming a fuel cell module; and a pressure application step, in which pressure is applied to the fuel cell module in the lamination direction of the fuel cells, forming sealed regions from the sealing members. The lamination-direction thickness of the fuel cell module is controlled by controlling the amount of pressure applied to the fuel cell module in the pressure application step.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell stack manufacturing method having a fuel cell module in which are laminated a plurality of fuel cells, whose membrane electrode assembly, which is made by joining an anode and a cathode on both sides of an electrolyte membrane, is clamped by a pair of separators, the fuel cell stack manufacturing method comprising:
a sealing member layout step in which a sealing member is disposed on the outer peripheral part of end surfaces that face each other between at least one of the fuel cell and another adjacent fuel cell, and the fuel cell module is formed by laminating the fuel cells; and
a pressure application step in which pressure is applied to the fuel cell module in the lamination direction of the fuel cells thereby forming sealed regions from the sealing members;
a lamination-direction thickness of the fuel cell module being controlled by controlling an amount of pressure applied to the fuel cell module in the pressure application step.

2. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein
the membrane electrode assembly comprises a power generation portion that generates energy via an electrochemical reaction, and
the power generation portion and the outer portion, which is outward of the power generation portion, are pressed at different pressures in the pressure application step.

3. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a mounting step during which the fuel cell module is clamped by mounting a clamping portion that clamps the fuel cell module from both ends of the fuel cell module in the lamination direction, and
the seal region in the pressure application step being formed by the sealing member by pressing the fuel cell module with a load that is equal to or less than a clamping pressure load that is applied when clamping the fuel cell module in the mounting step.

4. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , wherein
the seal region in the pressure application step is formed by the sealing member by pressing the fuel cell module with a load that is equal to or less than a load that is applied to the fuel cell module at a time of non-power generation, in a state in which the fuel cell stack is capable of power generation.

5. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , wherein
the seal region in the pressure application step is formed by the sealing member by pressing the fuel cell module with a load that is equal to or less than a minimum load at which the separator comes in contact with the membrane electrode assembly in the fuel cell.

6. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , further comprising
a retaining unit for retaining a state in which the fuel cell module is pressed; and
a detection unit for detecting a load that presses the fuel cell module;
a pressing load in the pressure application step being adjusted based on a pressing load of the fuel cell module that is detected by the detection unit, and in a state in which the fuel cell module is pressed by a predetermined pressing load, the state is retained by the retaining unit.

7. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , further comprising
a retaining unit for retaining a state in which the fuel cell module is pressed; and
a buffer member for buffering a load to the fuel cell stack via the pressing member;
a thickness of the fuel cell module in a lamination direction being retained in the pressure application step using the buffer member and the retaining unit.

8. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , wherein
the separator comprises an elastic shape that can be elastically deformed, and
a load that is applied to the fuel cell module in the pressure application step is relaxed when forming the seal region via the sealing member by deforming the elastic shape of the separator.

9. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 2 , wherein
a power generation portion pressing portion, which presses a power generation portion where power generation occurs in the fuel cell module, and an outer pressing portion, which presses outward of the power generation portion in a planar direction, of the pressing member defines a step in the lamination direction.

10. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounting step during which the fuel cell module is clamped by mounting a clamping portion that clamps the fuel cell module from both ends of the fuel cell module in the lamination direction, and
the seal region in the pressure application step being formed by the sealing member by pressing the fuel cell module with a load that is equal to or less than a clamping pressure load that is applied when clamping the fuel cell module in the mounting step.

11. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein
the seal region in the pressure application step is formed by the sealing member by pressing the fuel cell module with a load that is equal to or less than a load that is applied to the fuel cell module at a time of non-power generation, in a state in which the fuel cell stack is capable of power generation.

12. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein
the seal region in the pressure application step is formed by the sealing member by pressing the fuel cell module with a load that is equal to or less than a minimum load at which the separator comes in contact with the membrane electrode assembly in the fuel cell.

13. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a retaining unit for retaining a state in which the fuel cell module is pressed; and
a detection unit for detecting a load that presses the fuel cell module;
a pressing load in the pressure application step being adjusted based on a pressing load of the fuel cell module that is detected by the detection unit, and in a state in which the fuel cell module is pressed by a predetermined pressing load, the state is retained by the retaining unit.

14. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , comprising:
a retaining unit for retaining a state in which the fuel cell module is pressed; and
a buffer member for buffering a load to the fuel cell stack via the pressing member;
a thickness of the fuel cell module in a lamination direction being retained in the pressure application step using the buffer member and the retaining unit.

15. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 14 , wherein
the buffer member is configured by a plate spring.

16. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein
the separator comprises an elastic shape that can be elastically deformed, and
a load that is applied to the fuel cell module in the pressure application step is relaxed when forming the seal region via the sealing member by deforming the elastic shape of the separator.

17. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein
a power generation portion pressing portion, which presses a power generation portion where power generation occurs in the fuel cell module, and an outer pressing portion, which presses outward of the power generation portion in a planar direction, of the pressing member defines a step in the lamination direction.

18. The fuel cell stack manufacturing method according to claim 17 , wherein
the step defined by the power generation portion pressing portion and the ou

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Ichihara Keiji
• Hoshina Akio
• Watanabe Hiroshi
• Kageyama Kazuhiro

Classifications

• H01M8/248 Primary

  Means for compression of the fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M8/0276 Primary

  Sealing means characterised by their form (H01M8/0273 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02P70/56

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic