US 9,853,308 B2Granted

Solid oxide fuel cell

AssigneeNgk Spark Plug Co., Ltd.

InventorsTakeshi Ohno, Satoru Ishida, Hiroshi Sumi

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Abstract

A solid oxide fuel cell includes a fuel cell main body which includes a cathode layer, a solid electrolyte layer, and an anode layer and which has a power generation function; a connector disposed to face one electrode layer of the cathode layer and the anode layer; a current collector which is disposed between the one electrode layer and the connector and which is in contact with a surface of the one electrode layer and a surface of the connector, the surfaces facing each other, to thereby electrically connect the one electrode layer and the connector; and a groove provided in a portion of a surface of the one electrode layer, which surface is located on the side where the one electrode layer is in contact with the current collector, the portion of the surface being not in contact with the current collector.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A solid oxide fuel cell comprising:

a fuel cell main body which includes a cathode layer, a solid electrolyte layer, and an anode layer and which has a power generation function;
a connector having a bottom surface disposed to face an upper surface of the cathode layer;
a plurality of current collectors disposed between the cathode layer and the connector, individual ones of the plurality of current collectors having a first end which is in contact with the upper surface of the cathode layer and a second opposing end which is in contact with the bottom surface of the connector, to thereby electrically connect the cathode layer and the connector;
and
a plurality of grooves formed in the upper surface of the cathode layer which increase a contact area between a gas and the upper surface of the cathode layer from which the gas diffuses into an interior of the cathode layer,
wherein the plurality of current collectors is arranged in a form of an array of plural rows and columns occupied by said plurality of current collectors so as to establish horizontally and vertically running gas flow paths along the upper surface of the cathode layer,
wherein the first end of each of the plurality of current collectors has a rectangular cross-section being in contact with the upper surface of the cathode layer and having a longer side and a shorter side,
wherein the vertically running gas flow paths are defined by the longer sides which extend along the vertically running gas flow paths, respectively,
wherein the horizontally running gas flow paths are defined by the shorter sides which extend along the horizontally running gas flow paths, respectively, and
wherein the plurality of grooves is arranged to intersect the horizontally and vertically running gas flow paths.

7 more elements

A solid oxide fuel cell comprising:

a fuel cell main body which includes a cathode layer, a solid electrolyte layer, and an anode layer and which has a power generation function;
a connector disposed to face a surface of one electrode layer among the cathode layer and the anode layer;
a plurality of current collectors disposed between the one electrode layer and the connector, individual ones of the plurality of current collectors having a first end which is in contact with the surface of the one electrode layer and a second opposing end which is in contact with a surface of the connector, the surfaces facing each other, to thereby electrically connect the one electrode layer and the connector;
and
a plurality of grooves formed in the surface of the one electrode layer which increase a contact area between a gas and the surface of the one electrode layer from which the gas diffuses into an interior of the one electrode layer,
wherein the plurality of grooves extends in two directions which are inclined in relation to a direction of a flow path of an oxidizing gas supplied to the cathode layer or a direction of a flow path of a fuel gas supplied to the anode layer,
wherein the plurality of current collectors is arranged in a form of an array of plural rows and columns occupied by said plurality of current collectors so as to establish horizontally and vertically running gas flow paths along the surface of the one electrode layer,
wherein the first end of each of the plurality of current collectors has a rectangular cross-section being in contact with the surface of the one electrode layer and having a longer side and a shorter side,
wherein the vertically running gas flow paths are defined by the longer sides which extend along the vertically running gas flow paths, respectively,
wherein the horizontally running gas flow paths are defined by the shorter sides which extend along the horizontally running gas flow paths, respectively, and
wherein the plurality of grooves is arranged to intersect the horizontally and vertically running gas flow paths.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/114,571Filed 21 Feb 2012
Priority: JP 2011-10582711 May 2011
Published: US 2014/0051009 A120 Feb 2014
Granted: 26 Dec 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H01M 8/026
Characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant: characterised by grooves, e.g. their pitch or depth
H01M 4/86
Electrodes: inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells
H01M 8/0273
Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes: with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame
H01M 8/1213
Operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte: characterised by the electrode/electrolyte combination or the supporting…