# US 12,009,561 B2 · Method of producing fuel cell stack

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- Number: US 12,009,561 B2
- Document ID: US12009561B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/111,665
- Filed: 2023-02-20
- Published: 2023-09-14
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2022-03-10
- Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yutaka Ebato; Satoshi Oyama; Takaaki Mitsuoka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009561B2

## CPC

- H01M 8/1004: characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/0206: Metals or alloys
- H01M 8/0247: characterised by the form (characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258)
- H01M 8/0258: characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant
- H01M 8/0271: Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes
- H01M 8/0273: with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame
- H01M 8/0276: Sealing means characterised by their form (H01M8/0273 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/0286: Processes for forming seals
- H01M 8/0297: Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other (H01M8/0271 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/242: comprising framed electrodes or intermediary frame-like gaskets (H01M8/2425, H01M8/244 take precedence)
- H01M 8/248: Means for compression of the fuel cell stacks
- H01M 2008/1095: {Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes}
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A method of producing the fuel cell stack, including: a stacking step of stacking a plurality of power generation cells each including a membrane electrode assembly, a pair of separator plates sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly, and a seal member; and a compressing step of applying a compression load to the plurality of power generation cells stacked. In the compressing step, the compression load is applied in a manner that the membrane electrode assembly is plastically deformed, without exceeding an elastic limit of the seal member.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of producing a fuel cell stack, comprising:
a stacking step of stacking a plurality of power generation cells each including a membrane electrode assembly, a pair of separator plates sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly, and a seal member; and
a compressing step of applying a compression load to the plurality of power generation cells stacked in the stacking step,
wherein the separator plates comprise:
fluid flow field portions facing the membrane electrode assembly and configured to allow fluids to flow in a surface direction of the separator plates; and
beads surrounding the fluid flow field portions and protruding at portions outside the membrane electrode assembly in a thickness direction of the separator plates,
the seal member is provided between the beads of the pair of separator plates,
an elastic limit of the seal member is greater than an elastic limit of the membrane electrode assembly, and
in the compressing step, the compression load is applied in a manner that the membrane electrode assembly is plastically deformed, without exceeding the elastic limit of the seal member.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of producing the fuel cell stack according to claim 1, further comprising:
a seal attaching step of attaching the seal member to tops of the beads, as a preceding step of the stacking step,
wherein in the seal attaching step, a selection is made in a manner that the seal member has a thickness that a first total length of a sum of a thickness of the seal member and heights of the beads is equal to or smaller than a second total length of a sum of a thickness of the membrane electrode assembly and heights of the fluid flow field portions.