Fuel cell stack
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsKeiji Tsukamoto, Hiroki Homma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel cell of a fuel cell stack includes a power generation reaction area, a marginal area around the power generation reaction area, and a first reactant gas flow area and a second reactant gas flow area. The first reactant gas flow area and the second reactant gas flow area are provided outside the power generation reaction area and inside the marginal area. The fuel cell stack includes a first load applying unit configured to apply a first load to the marginal area in the stacking direction and a second load applying area configured to apply a second load to the power generation reaction area in the stacking direction.
Claims7
A fuel cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells, the fuel cells each having an electrolyte electrode assembly including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte interposed between the anode and the cathode,
- the fuel cells each comprising:
- a power generation reaction area having a fuel gas channel configured to supply a fuel gas along an electrode surface of the anode and an oxygen-containing gas channel configured to supply an oxygen-containing gas along an electrode surface of the cathode, the fuel gas channel and the oxygen-containing gas channel being formed separately on front and back sides of the power generation reaction area;
- a frame shaped marginal area provided around the power generation reaction area;
- and
- a first reactant gas flow area and a second reactant gas flow area, each of which has a fuel gas passage and an oxygen-containing gas passage, the fuel gas passage configured to allow the fuel gas to flow in the stacking direction of the fuel cells and connected to the fuel gas channel, and the oxygen-containing gas passage configured to allow the oxygen-containing gas to flow in the stacking direction and connected to the oxygen-containing gas channel,
- wherein the first reactant gas flow area is provided outside one end of the power generation reaction area and inside the marginal area, and the second reactant gas flow area is provided outside another end of the power generation reaction area and inside the marginal area;
- the first reactant gas flow area has one of a fuel gas supply passage and a fuel gas discharge passage as the fuel gas passage and one of an oxygen-containing gas supply passage and an oxygen-containing gas discharge passage as the oxygen-containing gas passage;
- the second reactant gas flow area has another of the fuel gas supply passage and the fuel gas discharge passage and another of the oxygen-containing gas supply passage and the oxygen-containing gas discharge passage;
- and
- the fuel cell stack has a first load applying unit configured to apply a first load to the marginal area in the stacking direction and a second load applying unit configured to apply a second load to the power generation reaction area in the stacking direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.