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US 8,795,918 B2Granted
Single fuel cell and fuel cell stack
AssigneeToppan Printing Co., Ltd.
InventorKeita Shimomura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The single fuel cell of the present invention includes an MEA (membrane electrode assembly), GDLs (gas diffusion layers) and separators, a pair of catalyst layers being provided on both surfaces of a polymer electrolyte membrane in the MEA, a pair of the GDLs being disposed opposite the pair of catalyst layers of the MEA, the separators including gas flow channels of an air electrode and a fuel electrode, the MEA and the pair of the GDLs being interposed between the separators, and at least one of an area of the GDL of the air electrode and an area of the GDL of the fuel electrode being smaller than an effective area of the gas flow channel of the separator, which is an inner area specified by tracing and connecting outermost edge parts of a groove of the gas flow channel of the separator.
Claims13
A single fuel cell comprising:
- a membrane electrode assembly;
- gas diffusion layers;
- and
- separators, the gas diffusion layers including a cathode gas diffusion layer and an anode gas diffusion layer, the separators including a cathode separator and an anode separator each of which has ribs and a groove of a gas flow channel on one of the surfaces, a pair of electrode catalyst layers being provided on both surfaces of a polymer electrolyte membrane in the membrane electrode assembly, the gas diffusion layers being disposed opposite the pair of electrode catalyst layers of the membrane electrode assembly, the membrane electrode assembly and the gas diffusion layers being interposed between the separators, a total area on a surface of the cathode gas diffusion layer being smaller than an effective area of the gas flow channel including the ribs of the cathode separator and/or a total area on a surface of the anode gas diffusion layer being smaller than an effective area of the gas flow channel including the ribs of the anode separator, and the effective area of the gas flow channel including the ribs being defined as an inner area specified by tracing and connecting outermost edge parts of the groove.
1 more element
A single fuel cell comprising:
- a membrane electrode assembly;
- a cathode gas diffusion layer;
- a cathode separator;
- an anode gas diffusion layer;
- and
- an anode separator, a cathode catalyst layer being provided on a surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane in the membrane electrode assembly, an anode catalyst layer being provided on the other surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane in the membrane electrode assembly, the cathode gas diffusion layer being disposed on the cathode catalyst layer of the membrane electrode assembly, the anode gas diffusion layer being disposed on the anode catalyst layer of the membrane electrode assembly, the cathode separator having ribs and a groove of a cathode gas flow channel on one of the surfaces, the anode separator having ribs and a groove of an anode gas flow channel on one of the surfaces, the membrane electrode assembly, the cathode gas diffusion layer and the anode gas diffusion layer being interposed between the cathode separator and the anode separator, wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:
- a total area which is on the cathode separator and which is covered with the cathode gas diffusion layer is smaller than and included in an effective area of the cathode gas flow channel including the ribs on the cathode separator, and
- a total area which is on the anode separator and which is covered with the anode gas diffusion layer is smaller than and included in an effective area of the anode gas flow channel including the ribs on the anode separator, wherein
- the effective area of the cathode gas flow channel including the ribs is defined as an inner area specified by tracing and connecting outermost edge parts of the groove, and
- the effective area of the anode gas flow channel including the ribs is defined as an inner area specified by tracing and connecting outermost edge parts of the groove.
7 more elements
A single fuel cell comprising:
- a membrane electrode assembly;
- a cathode gas diffusion layer;
- a cathode separator;
- an anode gas diffusion layer;
- and
- an anode separator, a cathode catalyst layer being provided on a surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane in the membrane electrode assembly, an anode catalyst layer being provided on the other surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane in the membrane electrode assembly, the cathode gas diffusion layer being disposed on the cathode catalyst layer of the membrane electrode assembly, the anode gas diffusion layer being disposed on the anode catalyst layer of the membrane electrode assembly, the cathode separator having ribs and a groove of a cathode gas flow channel, the anode separator having ribs and a groove of an anode gas flow channel, the membrane electrode assembly, the cathode gas diffusion layer and the anode gas diffusion layer being interposed between the cathode separator and the anode separator, wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:
- some areas of an effective area of the cathode gas flow channel including the ribs on the cathode separator are covered with the cathode gas diffusion layer on the cathode separator while the other areas of the effective area of the cathode gas flow channel including the ribs on the cathode separator are not covered with the cathode gas diffusion layer on the cathode separator, and
- some areas of an effective area of the anode gas flow channel including the ribs on the anode separator are covered with the anode gas diffusion layer on the anode separator while the other areas of the effective area of the anode gas flow channel including the ribs on the anode separator are not covered with the anode gas diffusion layer on the anode separator, wherein
- the effective area of the cathode gas flow channel including the ribs is defined as an inner area specified by tracing and connecting outermost edge parts of the groove, and
- the effective area of the anode gas flow channel including the ribs is defined as an inner area specified by tracing and connecting outermost edge parts of the groove.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.