JP2002237314A - Cell of fuel cell, manufacturing method of electrolyte layer and fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cell of a fuel cell in which the fuel cell is capable of manufacturing wherein an output voltage converted to one unit cell can be made higher. SOLUTION: In the cell of the fuel cell having a tabular plate member B wherein an oxygen electrode layer 2 and a fuel electrode layer 3 are dividedly arranged at both sides of an electrolyte layer 1, having an oxygen electrode side flow path forming member 4 to form the oxygen electrode side flow path s in the oxygen electrode layer 2 side and having a fuel electrode side flow path forming member 5 to form a fuel electrode side flow path f in the fuel electrode layer 3 side, a plurality of power generation part Cp are constituted so that neighboring ones to each other are made to be equipped so as to be closely arrayed in a row in a widthwise direction of the plate member B in an electric insulating state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flat plate-like body in which an oxygen electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer are separately arranged on both sides of an electrolyte layer, and an oxygen electrode side channel is formed on the oxygen electrode layer side. A cell of a fuel cell including an oxygen electrode side flow path forming member, and a fuel electrode side flow path forming member forming a fuel electrode side flow path on the fuel electrode layer side, a method of manufacturing an electrolyte layer used for the cell, and And a fuel cell using the cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In such a cell of a fuel cell, an oxygen-containing gas such as air flows as an oxygen-electrode-side gas in an oxygen-electrode-side flow path, and a hydrogen-containing gas flows in a fuel-electrode-side flow path. It generates electricity by a chemical reaction. As shown in FIG. 15, a cell C of a conventional fuel cell has a uniform oxygen electrode layer 2 provided on one surface of a uniform electrolyte layer 1 over the entire surface, and a uniform oxygen electrode layer 2 provided on the other surface. A fuel electrode layer 3 is provided, and an oxygen electrode side flow path forming member 4 formed so as to have conductivity as a whole is provided on the side of the oxygen electrode layer 2 to form an oxygen electrode side flow path s. On the fuel electrode layer 3 side, a fuel electrode side flow path forming member 5 formed so as to have conductivity as a whole is additionally provided to constitute a cell C of the fuel cell. The oxygen electrode side flow path s allows the oxygen electrode side gas to flow over substantially the entire surface of the cell C on the oxygen electrode layer side, and the fuel electrode side flow path f allows the fuel electrode side gas to flow on the fuel electrode layer side of the cell C. It was flowing over almost the entire surface to generate electricity.

[0003] Therefore, the cell C of the fuel cell functions as a single power generation unit, and a predetermined output voltage (hereinafter, unit output voltage Vs) as a hydrogen / oxygen fuel cell is output from the power generation unit.
Is output), the power generation voltage of the cell C is the unit output voltage Vs, which is the output voltage of one power generation unit. Incidentally, the unit output voltage Vs is generally less than about 1 volt. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of cells C are stacked in a state of being connected in series to each other to form a fuel cell. Therefore, conventionally, the output voltage of the fuel cell is equal to the unit output voltage Vs of the cell C.
NVs (volts) multiplied by the number N of.

[0004]

Incidentally, since DC power is output from the fuel cell, it is usually necessary to convert the power to AC power of 100 V or 200 V in order to supply power demand. Therefore, the DC power output from the fuel cell is once boosted by a DC / DC converter (for example, 10
When converting to 0VAC, (141 + α) VDC, 20
When converting to 0 VAC, the voltage is increased to (282 + α) VDC), and then converted to 100 V or 200 V AC power by a DC / AC converter (a so-called inverter) and output.

When the DC power output from a fuel cell is boosted by a DC / DC converter, the higher the output voltage of the fuel cell, the higher the conversion efficiency. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the output voltage of the fuel cell. . Therefore, conventionally, since the output voltage of one cell is limited to the unit output voltage Vs, it is necessary to increase the number of stacked cells in order to increase the output voltage of the fuel cell. On the other hand, it is required to supply the oxygen electrode side gas and the fuel electrode side gas as uniformly as possible to all the stacked cells. However, as the number of stacked cells increases, the oxygen electrode side gas and the fuel electrode side gas increase. Since the gas supply configuration for evenly supplying the gas becomes complicated, it is desired to reduce the number of stacked cells in order to prevent the gas supply configuration from becoming complicated and to suppress an increase in cost.

Therefore, conventionally, if the number of stacked cells is reduced in order to simplify the gas supply structure, the output voltage of the fuel cell becomes lower, and the loss when boosting the voltage by the DC / DC converter is large. As a result, the power generation efficiency decreases. On the other hand, if the output voltage of the fuel cell is increased by increasing the number of stacked cells and the loss at the time of boosting by the DC / DC converter is reduced to increase the power generation efficiency, the gas supply configuration becomes complicated. , Which leads to an increase in cost. By the way, conventionally, when manufacturing a fuel cell of 1 kW output by a solid polymer type cell using a polymer membrane as an electrolyte layer, for example, about 50 square plate-shaped cells of 10 cm square are stacked, Although an output voltage of 40 VDC was configured to be obtained, in this case, naturally, it has been desired to reduce the number of stacked cells and increase the output voltage of the fuel cell.

That is, conventionally, the output voltage per cell is limited to the unit output voltage Vs. Therefore, in a fuel cell manufactured using such a cell, the output voltage converted per cell is used. Therefore, it has been desired to increase the output voltage converted per cell.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a first object is to provide a fuel cell capable of producing a fuel cell capable of increasing the output voltage converted per cell. A second object is to provide a method for manufacturing an electrolyte layer of such a fuel cell, and a third object is to provide a fuel capable of increasing an output voltage converted per cell. It is to provide a battery.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems [Invention according to claim 1]
The characteristic configuration of the cell of the fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of power generation units are arranged side by side in a closely-spaced state in a width direction of the plate-like body in a state where adjacent power generation units are in an electrically insulated state. That is to be. According to the characteristic configuration of claim 1, the oxygen-electrode-side flow path formed by the oxygen-electrode-side flow path forming member collectively supplies the oxygen-electrode-side gas to the plurality of power generation units, and The fuel electrode side flow path formed by the fuel electrode side flow path forming member collectively supplies the fuel electrode side gas to the plurality of power generation units, and the plurality of power generation units in one cell. , The power generation reaction can be caused individually, so that the DC power of the output voltage of the unit output voltage Vs is individually output from each power generation unit.

When a fuel cell is manufactured by using a plurality of such cells, a plurality of power generation units included in the fuel cell are manufactured so that the output voltage per cell becomes higher than in the prior art. The parts can be electrically connected as appropriate. For example, when a plurality of cells are juxtaposed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body, and the power generation units arranged in the cell arrangement direction are connected in series, and a plurality of series-connected power generation unit rows connected in such a series are connected in series, the fuel The output voltage of the battery is nNVs (volt) obtained by multiplying the unit output voltage Vs by the number n of the power generation units provided in the cell and the number N of the cells. Alternatively, a plurality of cells are juxtaposed in the thickness direction of the plate-like body, a plurality of power generation units are connected in series for each cell, and a plurality of series-connected power generation unit rows connected in series in such a manner are arranged in the cell arrangement direction. When connected in series, the output of the fuel cell in this case also becomes the unit output voltage V
s is multiplied by the number n of the power generating units provided in the cell and the number N of the cells to obtain nNVs (volt). And, temporarily,
Assuming that the cell size and the number of cells are the same, that is, the volume of the fuel cell is the same, for example, a fuel cell configured using the cell of the present invention as described above and a conventional fuel cell are compared in output voltage. According to the present invention, the output voltage can be multiplied by n (the number of power generation units provided in the cell) in the related art. Moreover, in the present invention, while the cell has a plurality of power generating sections, the plurality of power generating sections of the cell are collectively supplied to the oxygen electrode side gas by the oxygen electrode side flow path and the fuel electrode side flow path. And the fuel electrode side gas can be supplied. Therefore, the configuration for supplying each of the oxygen electrode side gas and the fuel electrode side gas to each cell can be, for example, the same as the conventional configuration, so that it is complicated. It will not be. Accordingly, it has become possible to provide a fuel cell capable of producing a fuel cell capable of increasing the output voltage converted per cell.

As a result, when a fuel cell is manufactured using the cells of the present invention, a fuel cell having a higher output voltage than the conventional one can be manufactured while reducing the number of cells as compared with the conventional one. Can be simplified, and the loss at the time of boosting the voltage by the DC / DC converter is reduced, and the power generation efficiency can be increased.

By the way, the solid polymer type cell allows
When manufacturing a kW output fuel cell, for example, if the cell is provided with four power generation units, the number of cells is 25
Individually, even if the volume of the fuel cell is about half of the conventional,
It is possible to obtain an output voltage of about 80 VDC, which is about twice the conventional output voltage.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell according to the second aspect is characterized in that an insulating member is disposed between the adjacent power generating units so that the adjacent power generating units are connected to each other. , In the electrical insulation state. According to the characteristic configuration of claim 2,
Since the adjacent power generating units are configured to be in an electrically insulated state by the insulating member disposed therebetween, the power generating unit is configured such that the adjacent power generating units are electrically insulated by the insulating member. By making the distance between them shorter, the power generation units can be arranged in close contact. Therefore, the fuel cell can be made as compact as possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein: An insulating member is disposed between each of the path forming members, and the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer in the plate-like body are divided, so that the adjacent power generation units are in the electrical insulation state. It is configured to be. According to the characteristic configuration described in claim 3, the adjacent power generation units are insulated members between the oxygen electrode side flow path forming members and between the fuel electrode side flow path forming members in the adjacent power generation units, respectively. Are arranged and the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer in the plate-like body are divided so as to be in an electrically insulated state. In other words, each of the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member originally has a conductive portion having conductivity in order to take out the power generation output from the cell. By arranging an insulating member between portions constituting the power generation unit in each of the flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member, the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member are respectively disposed. The parts constituting the power generation unit are electrically insulated. Further, since the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer are formed of a conductive material, by dividing each of the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer, the parts constituting the power generation unit in each of the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer are separated. Are electrically insulated. Even if the same electrolyte layer as the conventional electrolyte layer formed into a single plate so as to be uniform over the entire surface is used, for example, the thickness of the electrolyte layer is determined by dividing the thickness of the oxygen electrode layer between the divided portions. Of the fuel electrode layer, the distance between the divided portions of the fuel electrode layer is set to be sufficiently smaller than the shorter one, so that the ion transfer between the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer in the power generation unit can be prevented. Ion movement can be made sufficiently small to make the adjacent power generation units electrically insulated.

On one surface of one plate-shaped electrolyte layer, a plurality of divided oxygen electrode layers are provided at intervals, and on the other surface, a plurality of divided fuel electrode layers are provided. Are attached at intervals so that the plate-like body is integrally provided with the parts constituting each power generation unit.
It is formed in a plate shape. And, while attaching the oxygen electrode side channel forming member to one surface of the integrally formed plate-like body,
By providing the fuel electrode side flow path forming member on the other surface, the cell can be manufactured while reducing the number of manufacturing steps. Therefore, using the same electrolyte layer as the conventional,
Since the cells of the fuel cell can be manufactured with a small number of manufacturing steps, the cost can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell according to the fourth aspect is characterized in that the electrolyte layer has an electrical insulating property in a portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent power generating units. That they are integrally formed. According to the characteristic configuration of the fourth aspect, each of the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member is adjacent to each other by the insulating member disposed between the respective power generation units. In each of the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer, a portion constituting each power generation unit is divided to be insulated between adjacent power generation units, and in the electrolyte layer, Since the adjacent power generation units are insulated by the insulating member arranged between the parts constituting the power generation units, the state in which the ion movement between the adjacent power generation units is eliminated or minimized, The power generating units to be electrically connected can be electrically insulated from each other. Therefore, the fuel cell can be manufactured with a small number of man-hours, so that loss due to ion transfer between adjacent power generation units can be eliminated or minimized while reducing costs. became.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell according to the fifth aspect is characterized in that the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member are adjacent to each other. It is that the insulating member is integrally formed in a portion corresponding to a portion between the portions. According to the characteristic configuration of the fifth aspect, on one surface of the plate-shaped body formed integrally,
Since the integrally formed oxygen electrode side flow path forming member can be provided, and the integrally formed fuel electrode side flow path forming member can be provided on the other surface, the number of manufacturing steps of the cell can be further reduced. it can. Therefore, the number of manufacturing steps of the cell can be further reduced as compared with the cell described in claim 3, so that the cost can be further reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell according to the sixth aspect, wherein the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member are electrically insulating. And an oxygen electrode that forms a conductive path connected to the oxygen electrode layer through the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body corresponding to each of the power generation units. A side conductive path forming member, and a fuel electrode side conductive path forming member that penetrates the fuel electrode side flow path forming member in the thickness direction to form a conductive path connected to the fuel electrode layer are provided. It is in. According to the characteristic configuration of the sixth aspect, the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member are formed of a material having an electrical insulation property, but the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member corresponds to each of the power generation units. An oxygen electrode side conductive path forming member provided in the side flow path forming member, and a fuel electrode side conductive path forming member provided in the fuel electrode side flow path forming member corresponding to each of the power generating sections. Can be connected to each other in a conductive state.
That is, by providing an oxygen electrode-side conductive path forming member or a fuel electrode-side conductive path forming member corresponding to each power generation unit with respect to a flow path forming member integrally formed of an electrically insulating material, Since each flow path forming member used for the cell can be manufactured, the manufacturing method can be simplified. On the other hand, when the flow path forming member is formed of a conductive material, for example, a portion forming each power generation unit is formed in a separated state, and a portion forming each power generation unit is adjacent to the power generation unit. By integrally assembling with the insulating members arranged between them, it is necessary to manufacture each flow path forming member used in the cell of the present invention, and the manufacturing method becomes complicated. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by simplifying the method of manufacturing the oxygen electrode side channel forming member and the fuel electrode side channel forming member.

[Invention of Claim 7] The characteristic configuration of the cell of the fuel cell according to Claim 7 is that the plurality of power generation units are:
The fuel electrode side flow path or the oxygen electrode side flow path is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the flow path forming direction. According to the configuration described in claim 7, the fuel electrode side gas or the oxygen electrode side gas supplied to the cell flows through the plurality of power generation units in parallel. The content rate or the oxygen content rate of the oxygen electrode side gas becomes substantially the same, the power generation reaction is similarly performed in the plurality of power generation units, and substantially the same power generation output is obtained from the plurality of power generation units. By the way, it is assumed that a plurality of power generation units are arranged along the flow path forming direction of the fuel electrode side flow path.In this case, the fuel electrode side gas supplied to the cell requires the plurality of power generation units. Since the hydrogen flows in the fuel electrode side gas flowing in the downstream side in the fuel electrode side gas flow direction becomes lower, the power generation reaction can be similarly performed in a plurality of power generation units. There is a disadvantage that you can not. Further, it is assumed that a plurality of power generating units are arranged along the flow path forming direction of the oxygen electrode side flow path.In this case, the oxygen electrode side gas supplied to the cell causes the plurality of power generating units to flow. Since the gas flows sequentially, the oxygen content of the flowing oxygen electrode-side gas becomes lower in the downstream power generation section in the oxygen electrode side gas flow direction, so that the power generation reaction can be similarly performed in a plurality of power generation sections. There is a disadvantage that you can not. Therefore,
Since power can be appropriately generated in all the power generation units included in the cell, the power generation efficiency can be further increased.

[Invention of claim 8] The method of manufacturing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell according to claim 8 is characterized by the method of manufacturing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell according to claim 4, From the alternately arranged electrolyte material supply unit and the insulation material supply unit, by rolling the liquid electrolyte material and the liquid insulation material supplied in an alternately arranged state by a roller,
It is to form the electrolyte layer. According to the characteristic configuration of the eighth aspect, the liquid electrolyte material and the liquid insulating material which are alternately supplied from the alternately arranged electrolyte material supply unit and the insulation material supply unit are rolled by rollers. By doing so, it is possible to manufacture an electrolyte layer integrally formed in a portion corresponding to a portion between adjacent power generation units so as to have electrical insulation. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method suitable for manufacturing an electrolyte layer used for the fuel cell according to the fourth aspect.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell according to the ninth aspect is a method of manufacturing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell according to the fourth aspect, For the porous electrolyte layer forming substrate formed of an electrically insulating material, the electrolyte layer is formed by filling the portion except for the portion having the electrical insulation property with the electrolyte material. is there. According to the characteristic configuration of the ninth aspect, the electrolyte material is filled in a portion of the porous electrolyte layer forming substrate formed of an electrically insulating material, except for a portion having electrical insulation. By doing so, it is possible to manufacture an electrolyte layer integrally formed in a portion corresponding to a portion between adjacent power generation units so as to have electrical insulation. Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method suitable for manufacturing an electrolyte layer used for the fuel cell according to the fourth aspect.

[Invention of claim 10] The fuel cell according to claim 10 is characterized by any one of claims 1 to 7
A plurality of cells of the fuel cell according to the above, the fuel cell is juxtaposed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body, and the power generation units arranged in the cell arrangement direction are connected in series, and so connected in series A plurality of the series-connected power generation unit rows are connected in series. According to the characteristic configuration of claim 10,
A plurality of cells are arranged by aligning the phases of the plurality of power generation units with each other, and overlapping the adjacent cells with the oxygen electrode side channel forming member and the fuel electrode side channel forming member in contact with each other. In this simple configuration, the power generation units arranged in the cell arrangement direction are connected in series, and a simple configuration in which a plurality of serially connected power generation unit rows connected in series is simply connected in series is provided. A fuel cell whose output voltage is higher than that of a conventional fuel cell can be configured. That is,
In order to take out the power generation output from the cells, the conductive portions originally provided in the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and the fuel electrode side flow path forming member, respectively, are brought into contact with each other while the cells are juxtaposed. Since the power generation units arranged in a row can be connected in series, it is not necessary to connect the power generation units arranged in the cell arranging direction by a lead wire or the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide a fuel cell in which the output voltage converted per cell is higher than in the prior art and the electric connection configuration of the power generation unit included in the fuel cell is simple.

[Invention of claim 11] The fuel cell according to claim 11 is characterized by any one of claims 1 to 7
A plurality of cells of the fuel cell according to the above is a fuel cell arranged side by side in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body, for each cell, a plurality of the power generation units are connected in series, such a series A plurality of the connected serially connected power generation unit rows are connected in series in the cell arrangement direction. According to the characteristic configuration of the eleventh aspect, the plurality of cells are juxtaposed in a state where the adjacent cells are electrically insulated from each other, and the plurality of power generation units are connected in series for each cell, and such a series connection is performed. By connecting a plurality of the connected series-connected power generation units in series in the cell arrangement direction, a fuel cell having a higher output voltage per cell than in the related art is configured. Then, when the power generation unit included in the fuel cell is electrically connected as described above, claim 10
The connection configuration of the power generation units described in the characteristic configuration of, that is, the power generation units arranged in the cell arrangement direction are connected in series, and compared with the connection configuration in which a plurality of series-connected power generation unit rows connected in series are connected in series. Since the potential difference between adjacent power generation units in the cell is reduced, even if the insulation resistance between adjacent power generation units is somewhat low, ion migration between adjacent power generation units is effectively suppressed, and loss due to this is effectively reduced. Can be effectively reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide a fuel cell that has a higher output voltage per cell than in the prior art and that can simplify the configuration for making adjacent power generation units electrically insulated. Was.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cell of a fuel cell will be described. The embodiment described below is a case where the present invention is applied to a cell of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a polymer membrane as an electrolyte layer, and the first to fifth embodiments are described below. Will be described. [First Embodiment of Fuel Cell] A first embodiment of a fuel cell will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the cell in a longitudinal section, and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal sectional view of the cell. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a cell C of a fuel cell is a flat plate having an oxygen electrode layer 2 on one surface of an electrolyte layer 1 made of a polymer membrane and a fuel electrode layer 3 on the other surface. Plate-shaped body B, an oxygen electrode-side separator (corresponding to an oxygen electrode-side channel forming member) 4 forming an oxygen electrode-side channel s on the oxygen electrode layer 2 side, and a fuel electrode side on the fuel electrode layer 3 side. And a fuel electrode side separator (corresponding to a fuel electrode side flow path forming member) 5 which forms the flow path f.

According to the present invention, the cell C includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) power generation units Cp, which are electrically insulated from each other in the width direction of the plate-shaped body B. It is configured so as to be closely arranged. In the first embodiment, the insulating members 6 are arranged between the adjacent power generation units Cp, so that the adjacent power generation units Cp are in an electrically insulated state.

In addition, the electrolyte layer 1 is formed of a fluororesin-based ion exchange membrane having proton conductivity. Each of the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3 is formed of a porous conductive material made of carbon, and an electrode catalyst made of platinum and a platinum-based alloy is supported on the side in contact with each electrolyte layer 1. It is. In the plate-shaped body B, an insulating member 6 is provided at a position corresponding to a position between the adjacent power generation units Cp.

The oxygen-electrode-side separator 4 has an oxygen-electrode-side channel forming groove functioning as an oxygen-electrode-side channel s through which the oxygen-electrode-side gas flows, and is formed on the surface on the opposite side. To
A cooling water channel forming groove functioning as a cooling water channel w is formed. The oxygen-electrode-side channel forming groove functioning as the oxygen-electrode-side channel s is composed of a pair of header grooves, and a plurality of branch grooves arranged in parallel with both ends communicating with the header grooves. The cooling water flow path forming groove functioning as the cooling water flow path w also includes a pair of header grooves, and a plurality of branch flow grooves arranged in parallel with both ends communicating with the header grooves. The groove and the oxygen electrode side channel forming groove are formed such that the length directions of the respective flow dividing grooves are the same.

In the oxygen electrode side separator 4, portions constituting each power generation unit Cp are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the flow splitting groove portion of the oxygen electrode side channel forming groove (that is, the oxygen electrode side gas flow direction). In this way, an insulating member 6 is provided at a position corresponding to a position between adjacent power generating units Cp. The insulating member 6
Are provided in the oxygen electrode side separator 4 so as to be located between the adjacent flow dividing grooves of the oxygen electrode side flow path forming groove and between the adjacent flow dividing grooves of the cooling water flow path forming groove. Is formed with a notch 6c so that each header groove of the oxygen electrode side flow path forming groove and the cooling water flow path forming groove communicates between the adjacent power generation units Cp.

The fuel electrode side separator 5 has a fuel electrode side flow path forming groove which functions as a fuel electrode side flow path f through which a fuel electrode side gas flows, and is formed on the surface on the fuel electrode layer 3 side. On the surface, a cooling water channel forming groove functioning as a cooling water channel w is formed.

The fuel electrode side flow path forming groove functioning as the fuel electrode side flow path f is composed of a pair of header grooves and a plurality of flow dividing grooves arranged in parallel with both ends communicating with the header grooves. Similarly, the cooling water flow path forming groove functioning as the cooling water flow path w is also composed of a pair of header grooves and a plurality of flow dividing grooves arranged in parallel with both ends communicating with the header grooves. The water flow path forming groove and the oxygen electrode side flow path forming groove are formed such that the length directions of the respective flow dividing grooves are in the same direction.

In the fuel electrode side separator 5, the portions constituting each power generation section Cp are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the distribution groove portion of the fuel electrode side flow path forming groove (ie, the fuel electrode side gas flow direction). In this way, an insulating member 6 is provided at a position corresponding to a position between adjacent power generating units Cp. The insulating member 6
Are provided in the fuel electrode side separator 5 so as to be located between the adjacent flow dividing grooves of the fuel electrode side flow path forming groove and between the adjacent flow dividing grooves of the cooling water flow path forming groove. Is formed with a notch 6c so that the header grooves of the fuel electrode side flow path forming groove and the cooling water flow path forming groove communicate with each other between the adjacent power generation units Cp.

The oxygen-electrode-side separator 4 and the fuel-electrode-side separator 5 are formed so that the length directions of the respective flow dividing grooves are in the same direction, and the respective cooling water flow path forming grooves are plane-symmetric with each other. When forming the fuel cell by stacking the cells C, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 overlap with each other, and the cooling water passage w is formed by both the cooling water passage forming grooves. It is configured as follows.

Each of the electrolyte layer 1, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 penetrates in the thickness direction so that when they are stacked, they continue in the stacking direction.
The holes 1h, 4h, 5h are formed. When viewed in the stacking direction, six holes 1 h, 4 h, and 4 h formed in the electrolyte layer 1, the oxygen electrode side separator 4, and the fuel electrode side separator 5, respectively.
5h, two respectively overlap the ends of the pair of header grooves of the oxygen electrode side flow path forming groove of the oxygen electrode side separator 4, and the other two are on the fuel electrode side of the fuel electrode side separator 5. Each of the pair of header groove portions of the flow path forming groove overlaps each end,
The remaining two parts respectively overlap the ends of the pair of header grooves of the cooling water flow path forming grooves of the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 respectively.

Therefore, in the cell C, the pores 1 of the electrolyte layer 1, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 are respectively provided.
h, 4h, and 5h are formed in a continuous manner in the stacking direction. Six of the passages are formed, and two of the passages are formed at respective ends of a pair of header grooves forming the oxygen electrode side flow path s. Separately, the other two separately communicate with the respective ends of a pair of header grooves forming the fuel electrode side flow path f, and the other two are formed of a pair of header grooves forming the cooling water flow path w Each end communicates separately. The two passages communicating with the oxygen electrode side passage s are defined as an oxygen electrode side communication passage Ts, the two passages communicating with the fuel electrode side passage f are defined as a fuel electrode side communication passage Tf, and the cooling water passage. The two passages communicating with w are respectively referred to as cooling water-side communication passages Tw.

The oxygen electrode side separator 4 is formed of a conductive material made of carbon so as to have airtightness. The fuel electrode side separator 5 is made of a conductive material made of carbon, and the fuel electrode side flow path forming groove and the cooling water flow path forming groove inside the square frame-shaped portion so that the peripheral frame-shaped portion has airtightness. Is formed in a porous shape. Insulation member 6
Is made of an insulating polymer material such as PTFE (porotetrafluoroethylene).

Next, a method for manufacturing the cell C as described above will be described. Each of the plate B, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 is formed so that a portion constituting each power generation unit Cp is formed separately.
The plurality of power generation units Cp are formed separately by integrally forming the power generation units Cp of the fuel electrode side separators 5 to form the power generation units Cp. The insulating member 6 is one sheet so as to integrally include each of the plate-shaped body B, the oxygen electrode side separator 4, and the fuel electrode side separator 5, each of which is located at a position corresponding to a position between the adjacent power generation units Cp. It is formed in the shape of a plate.

Then, the plurality of power generation units Cp are integrally assembled with one plate-like insulating member 6 positioned between the adjacent power generation units Cp, so that the adjacent power generation units Cp are electrically connected to each other. The cell C includes a plurality of power generation units Cp arranged in a closely-spaced state in the width direction of the plate-shaped body B so as to be in an insulated state. Further, the insulating member 6 is provided between the adjacent power generation units Cp.
Is arranged, the adjacent power generation units Cp are
It is configured to be in an electrically insulating state.

Referring to FIG. 5, another method of manufacturing the cell C as described above will be described. The plate-shaped body B is formed in a single plate-like shape so as to integrally include a portion constituting each power generation unit Cp. The oxygen electrode side separator 4 is provided with the insulating member 6 provided between the power generation units Cp with the tip thereof being sharpened and protruding toward the electrolyte layer 1 so as to integrally include a portion constituting each power generation unit Cp. , Formed into a single plate. Further, the fuel electrode side separator 5 is provided with the insulating member 6 between the power generating units Cp so that a concave portion for inserting the protruding portion of the insulating member 6 of the oxygen electrode side separator 4 is formed. It is formed into a single plate so as to integrally include the constituent parts. Then, both sides of the plate-shaped body B are sandwiched between the oxygen electrode-side separator 4 and the fuel electrode-side separator 5, and the plate-shaped body B is broken at the protruding portion of the insulating member 6 of the oxygen electrode-side separator 4, The above-mentioned cell C is constituted by integrally assembling it in a state of being inserted into the concave portion of the fuel electrode side separator 5.

In the cell C configured as described above,
As shown by solid arrows in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the oxygen electrode side gas is supplied to one oxygen electrode side communication passage Ts, the oxygen electrode side gas is diverted from one header groove to a plurality of branch grooves. It flows through the oxygen electrode side flow path s in a form in which it flows through each of the branch grooves and merges with the other header groove, that is, in a form in which it flows in parallel through the plurality of power generation sections Cp, and the other oxygen electrode side communication path Ts
Is discharged from. 3 and 4, when the fuel electrode side gas is supplied to one fuel electrode side communication passage Tf, the fuel electrode side gas is divided from one header groove to a plurality of branch grooves. And flows into each of the branch grooves and merges with the other header groove, that is, a plurality of power generation units Cp
Flows in parallel in the fuel electrode side flow path f, and is discharged from the other fuel electrode side communication path Tf. 3 and 4
As shown by the dashed-dotted arrow in the figure, when the cooling water is supplied to one of the cooling water side communication passages Tw, the cooling water flows from one header groove to a plurality of branch grooves, flows through each branch groove, and flows into the other branch groove. The cooling water flows through the cooling water flow channel w in a form that merges with the header groove portion, i.e., flows in parallel with the plurality of power generation units Cp, and is discharged from the other cooling water side communication passage Tw. In addition, since a part of the cooling water flowing through the cooling water flow path w passes through the porous portion of the fuel electrode side separator 5 to the fuel electrode side flow path f side, the water thus permeated forms the electrolyte layer 1. The wetted polymer film becomes wet, and the polymer film becomes ionic conductive. That is, the oxygen electrode side separator 4
The oxygen-electrode-side flow path s formed as described above supplies the oxygen-electrode-side gas collectively to the plurality of power generation units Cp included in the cell C, and the fuel formed by the fuel-electrode-side separator 5 The fuel electrode side gas can be collectively supplied to the plurality of power generation units Cp included in the cell C by the electrode side flow path f. Then, since the power generation reaction occurs individually in the plurality of power generation units Cp, the DC power of the output voltage of the unit output voltage Vs is individually output from each of the plurality of power generation units Cp.

In the cell C, a plurality of power generation units C
p are arranged in the direction in which the fuel electrode-side flow path f is formed, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the gas flow direction of the fuel electrode-side flow path f. Since the hydrogen gas flows through the power generation units Cp in parallel, the hydrogen content of the fuel electrode side gas flowing through each of the power generation units Cp becomes substantially the same, and the power generation reaction is similarly performed in the plurality of power generation units Cp. Approximately the same power output can be obtained from Cp. Further, since the oxygen electrode side gas also flows in parallel through the plurality of power generation units Cp, the power generation reaction is similarly performed in the plurality of power generation units Cp, and the power generation output from the plurality of power generation units Cp is substantially the same. Is obtained.

The cooling water flow channel w is continuously connected to the plurality of power generating units Cp. However, since the cooling water flow channel w is supplied with pure water, which is an electrically insulating material, the adjacent power generating unit Cp is used. Cp can be maintained in an electrically insulated state.

Hereinafter, the second to fifth embodiments of the cell of the fuel cell will be described. The same components and components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be described below in order to avoid redundant description. The description is omitted by attaching a reference numeral,
Mainly, a configuration different from the first embodiment will be described.

[Second Embodiment of Fuel Cell Cell]
A second embodiment of the cell of the fuel cell will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, the insulating members 6 are arranged between the oxygen electrode side separators 4 and between the fuel electrode side separators 5 in the adjacent power generation units Cp, respectively, and the oxygen electrode layer in the plate-shaped body B is formed. By dividing the fuel cell 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3, the adjacent power generation units Cp are configured to be in an electrically insulated state.

The electrolyte layer 1 of the plate-shaped body B is formed in a uniform plate shape over the entire surface, and a plurality of divided oxygen electrode layers 2 are provided on one surface of the electrolyte layer 1 at intervals. The plate-shaped body B is integrated with the parts constituting the respective power generating units Cp by providing a plurality of fuel electrode layers 3 on the other surface at intervals. It is formed in a single plate shape so that it can be provided.

The oxygen-electrode-side separator 4 is formed separately from the constituent parts of each power generation unit Cp so as to have the oxygen-electrode-side flow path forming groove and the cooling water flow path forming groove as in the first embodiment. The parts constituting each of the power generation units Cp are integrally assembled in a state where the insulating member 6 is disposed therebetween, thereby forming a single plate shape.
Similarly, a portion constituting each power generation unit Cp is formed separately so that the fuel electrode side flow channel formation groove and the cooling water flow channel formation groove are provided in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The constituent parts are integrally assembled in a state in which the insulating members 6 are arranged between each other to form a single plate. Then, the cell C is configured by attaching the oxygen electrode side separator 4 to one surface of the plate-shaped body B and attaching the fuel electrode side separator 5 to the other surface.

Further, the plurality of power generation units Cp are arranged so as to be arranged in the direction in which the fuel electrode side flow path f is formed, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the gas flow direction of the fuel electrode side flow path f.

The distance Lw between the adjacent power generation units Cp (the shorter the distance between the adjacent oxygen electrode layers 2 and the distance between the adjacent fuel electrode layers 3 is smaller than the thickness Lt of the electrolyte layer 1) ) Is sufficiently large (for example, Lt = 10 to 50 μm).
m, Lw = several mm), so that the ion movement between the power generation units Cp is sufficiently small with respect to the ion movement between the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3 in the power generation unit Cp. Thus, the adjacent power generating units Cp are electrically insulated.

In the cell C according to the second embodiment, the same electrolyte layer 1 as in the prior art can be used, and the plate B, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 can be used.
Can be assembled and manufactured by the same assembling method as in the past, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed.

[Third Embodiment of Fuel Cell Cell]
A third embodiment of the fuel cell will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In the third embodiment, the insulating members 6 are arranged between the oxygen electrode side separators 4 and between the fuel electrode side separators 5 in the adjacent power generation units Cp, respectively, and the oxygen electrode layer in the plate-shaped body B is formed. By dividing the fuel cell 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3, the adjacent power generation units Cp are configured to be in an electrically insulated state.

The electrolyte layer 1 is formed integrally with a portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent power generation portions Cp and provided with a portion 1i having electrical insulation, and one surface of the electrolyte layer 1 is provided with a plurality of divided oxygen layers. The electrode layer 2 is provided with the respective portions spaced apart from each other, and the other surface is provided with a plurality of divided fuel electrode layers 3.
The plate-shaped body B is formed in a single plate-like shape so that the plate-shaped body B is integrally provided with the parts constituting each of the power generation units Cp by attaching the parts at intervals.

The oxygen-electrode-side separator 4 is formed separately from the constituent parts of each power generation unit Cp so that the oxygen-electrode-side flow path forming groove and the cooling water flow path forming groove are provided similarly to the first embodiment. The parts constituting each of the power generation units Cp are integrally assembled in a state where the insulating member 6 is disposed therebetween, thereby forming a single plate shape.
Similarly, a portion constituting each power generation unit Cp is formed separately so that the fuel electrode side flow channel formation groove and the cooling water flow channel formation groove are provided in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The constituent parts are integrally assembled in a state in which the insulating members 6 are arranged between each other to form a single plate. Then, the cell C is configured by attaching the oxygen electrode side separator 4 to one surface of the plate-shaped body B and attaching the fuel electrode side separator 5 to the other surface.

Further, the plurality of power generation units Cp are arranged so as to be arranged in the direction in which the fuel electrode side flow path f is formed, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the gas flow direction of the fuel electrode side flow path f.

Next, a method of manufacturing the electrolyte layer 1 used in the cell C as described above will be described. An electrolyte material supply unit for discharging a liquid electrolyte material (material for forming a polymer film) for forming a portion of the electrolyte layer 1 constituting the power generation unit CP and an insulating portion 1i between the power generation units CP Insulating material supply sections for discharging the liquid insulating material are alternately arranged, and the liquid electrolyte material and the liquid insulating material supplied from the electrolyte material supplying section and the insulating material supplying section are formed into a sheet. A roller for rolling is provided. Then, the liquid electrolyte material and the liquid insulating material, which are alternately supplied in a state of being alternately arranged from the alternately arranged electrolyte material supply unit and the insulation material supply unit, are rolled into a sheet shape by a roller, so that adjacent ones are rolled. An electrolyte layer 1 integrally including an electric insulating portion 1i is formed in a portion corresponding to a portion between the power generating portions Cp.

Next, another method of manufacturing the electrolyte layer 1 used in the cell C as described above will be described. An electrolyte layer 1 is formed by filling a portion of the porous electrolyte layer forming substrate formed of an electrically insulating material such as PTFE, except for a portion having electrical insulation, with the electrolyte material. I do.
As a method of filling the porous electrolyte layer forming base material with the electrolyte material in a predetermined pattern excluding a portion having electric insulation, screen printing or a method using a dispenser may be used. Can be.

In the cell C according to the third embodiment, although the electrolyte layer 1 is different from the conventional one, the plate-like body B, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 are assembled by the same assembling method as the conventional one. Therefore, cost increase can be suppressed.

[Fourth Embodiment of Fuel Cell Cell]
A fourth embodiment of the cell of the fuel cell will be described with reference to FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the manufacturing method of each of the oxygen electrode-side separator 4 and the fuel electrode-side separator 5 is different from that of the above-described third embodiment, and the other configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment. That is, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 has an insulating portion 4i functioning as an insulating member between the conductive portions constituting each power generation unit Cp, and includes the oxygen electrode side channel forming groove and the cooling water channel forming groove. The fuel electrode-side separator 5 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment by integrally molding the fuel electrode-side separator 5, and the insulation functioning as an insulating member is provided between the conductive portions constituting each power generation unit Cp. It has a portion 5i, and is integrally formed to have a fuel electrode side flow path forming groove and a cooling water flow path forming groove as in the first embodiment. Incidentally, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 are formed by mixing a powder of carbon black or metal (conductor) and a powder of resin (electric insulator) for forming a conductive portion, and a powder of resin. Only the part for forming the insulating part,
It can be formed by molding in a state where it is arranged in a predetermined manner.

The cell C is constituted by attaching the oxygen electrode side separator 4 to one surface of the plate-shaped body B and attaching the fuel electrode side separator 5 to the other surface.

[Fifth Embodiment of Fuel Cell Cell]
A fifth embodiment of the cell of the fuel cell will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fifth embodiment, the oxygen electrode-side separator 4 and the fuel electrode-side separator 5 are formed of a material having electrical insulation, and are made to correspond to each of the power generation units Cp.
The oxygen electrode side conductive path forming member 7 which penetrates the oxygen electrode side separator 4 in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body B to form a conductive path connected to the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 are formed in a plate shape. A fuel electrode side conductive path forming member 8 is provided to form a conductive path that penetrates the body B in the thickness direction and is connected to the fuel electrode layer 3.

In addition, the oxygen electrode side separator 4
Form an oxygen electrode side channel forming groove functioning as an oxygen electrode side channel s on the surface on the oxygen electrode 2 side, and form a cooling water channel forming groove functioning as a cooling water channel w on the opposite surface. I have. The oxygen-electrode-side flow channel forming groove functioning as the oxygen-electrode-side flow channel s has one pair of header groove portions and one power generation portion Cp.
And a plurality of distribution flow portions each having both ends communicating with the header groove portion.
The cooling water flow path forming groove to function as a pair is also provided with a pair of header grooves and a plurality of distribution flow parts provided one by one for each of the power generation units Cp, and both ends of which are communicated with the header grooves. is there.

A plurality of rod-shaped oxygen electrode side conductive path forming members 7
Are arranged for each of the power generation units Cp, and are held in the oxygen electrode side separator 4 in a state of being penetrated in the thickness direction.

The fuel electrode side separator 5 has a fuel electrode side flow path forming groove functioning as a fuel electrode side flow path f on the surface on the fuel electrode layer 3 side, and a cooling water flow path w on the opposite side. A cooling water flow path forming groove to function is formed. The oxygen electrode side flow path forming groove functioning as the fuel electrode side flow path f is provided one by one for each of the pair of header groove portions and the power generation portion Cp, and a plurality of portions each having both ends communicating with the header groove portion are provided. Similarly, the cooling water flow path forming groove which is constituted by the circulation flow part and functions as the cooling water flow path w also has a pair of header grooves, and the power generation part C.
Each of p is provided one by one, and each of the two ends is constituted by a plurality of distribution flow portions that communicate with the header groove.

A plurality of rod-shaped fuel electrode side conductive path forming members 8
Are arranged for each of the power generation units Cp, and are held in the fuel electrode side separator 5 in a state of being penetrated in the thickness direction.

As in the first embodiment, the oxygen electrode side communication passage T
s, the electrolyte layer 1, the oxygen electrode side separator 4, and the fuel electrode side separator 5 each have the same thickness as in the first embodiment so as to form the fuel electrode side communication path Tf and the cooling water side communication path Tw. Six holes 1h, 4h, 5h penetrating in the vertical direction are formed.

The oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 are formed of an insulating polymer material such as PTFE (porotetrafluoroethylene), and the oxygen electrode side conductive path forming member 7 and the fuel electrode side conductive member. The path forming member 8 is formed of a conductive material made of carbon.

Then, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 is placed on one surface of the plate-shaped body B similar to that of the third embodiment, and the oxygen electrode side conductive path forming member 7 provided thereon is in contact with the oxygen electrode layer 2. A fuel electrode side separator 5 is provided on the other surface.
Are provided in a state where the fuel electrode side conductive path forming member 8 provided therewith is in contact with the fuel electrode layer 3 to constitute the cell C. In other words, the plurality of power generation units Cp are configured to be arranged in the direction in which the fuel electrode side flow path f is formed, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the gas flow direction of the fuel electrode side flow path f.

Hereinafter, first and second embodiments of the fuel cell using the cells of the fuel cell configured as described above will be described.

[First Embodiment of Fuel Cell] FIG.
A first embodiment of a fuel cell will be described based on FIG. First
In the fuel cell according to the embodiment, the plurality of cells C are juxtaposed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body B, the power generation units Cp arranged in the cell arrangement direction are connected in series, and the series-connected power generation unit row thus connected in series. Are connected in series. In addition, as cell C,
The cell C of the first embodiment is used.

More specifically, the plurality of cells C are arranged such that the power generation units Cp are arranged in the same phase, and in the adjacent cells C, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 of one cell C and the fuel electrode of the other cell C are disposed. It is juxtaposed with the side separator 5 in contact therewith. When the cells C are juxtaposed, the oxygen electrode side communication passage Ts, the fuel electrode side communication passage Tf and the cooling water side communication passage T
w, and the oxygen-electrode-side gas, the fuel-electrode-side gas, and the cooling water are supplied to all the cells C using the oxygen-electrode-side communication passage Ts, the fuel-electrode-side communication passage Tf, and the cooling-water-side communication passage Tw. Can be supplied. In a state where a plurality of cells C are juxtaposed, no cooling water channel forming groove is formed in the oxygen electrode side separator 4 located at one end in the cell arrangement direction, and the fuel electrode side separator 5 located at the other end is not formed. In addition, the cooling water channel forming groove is not formed.

The plurality of power generation units Cp arranged in the cell arrangement direction
A plurality of series-connected power generation unit rows are connected in series by contact between the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 adjacent to each other. Then, a plurality of series-connected power generation unit rows are connected in series by the lead wire 9. Therefore, assuming that the number of power generation units Cp provided in each cell C is n and the number of cells C arranged in parallel is N, the output voltage of the fuel cell is nNVs
(Volts) and the number of juxtaposed cells C is the same,
It becomes n times the output voltage of the conventional fuel cell. .

[Second Embodiment of Fuel Cell] FIG.
A second embodiment of the fuel cell will be described based on FIG. Second
In the fuel cell according to the embodiment, a plurality of cells C are juxtaposed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped body B, and a plurality of power generation units Cp are connected in series for each cell C, and the series connection thus connected in series is performed. A plurality of power generation unit rows are connected in series in the cell arrangement direction. still,
The cell C of the second embodiment is used as the cell C.

In addition, a plurality of cells C are juxtaposed in such a manner that the insulating members 10 are arranged between the adjacent cells C to insulate the adjacent cells C. An opening is formed in the insulating member 10 so as to overlap the opening of the cooling water channel forming groove of the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5, and when the cells C are juxtaposed, the oxygen electrode The cooling water flow channel w is formed by the cooling water flow channel forming grooves of the side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5.
When the cells C are juxtaposed, the oxygen electrode side communication path Ts, the fuel electrode side communication path Tf, and the cooling water side communication path Tw are communicated with each other to form the oxygen electrode side communication path Ts and the fuel electrode side communication path. The oxygen electrode side gas, the fuel electrode side gas, and the cooling water can be supplied to all the cells C by using the Tf and the cooling water side communication passage Tw.

Then, for each cell C, an adjacent power generation unit Cp
In this case, by connecting the oxygen electrode side separator 4 of one power generation unit Cp and the fuel electrode side separator 5 of the other power generation unit Cp with the lead wire 11, the plurality of power generation units C
P is connected in series, and a plurality of the series-connected power generation unit rows connected in series in this way are connected in series with the lead wire 12. Therefore, assuming that the number of power generation units Cp provided in each cell C is n and the number of cells C arranged in parallel is N, the output voltage of the fuel cell is n
Assuming that NVs (volts) and the number of cells C arranged in parallel are the same, the output voltage becomes n times the output voltage of the conventional fuel cell.

[Another Embodiment] Next, another embodiment will be described. (B) In the above-described embodiment of the cell, the cell C
Although the case where the plurality of power generation units Cp are provided in a form arranged in one row has been exemplified, in the cell C, the arrangement form of the plurality of power generation units Cp can be appropriately changed, and for example, the plurality of power generation units Cp are arranged in a plurality of rows. It may be in a form.

(B) In the above-described embodiment of the cell, the case where the oxygen electrode side flow path s and the fuel electrode side flow path f are configured to have the same gas flow direction has been described. You can configure the direction to be the opposite direction,
The gas flow directions may be orthogonal to each other.

(C) Using the oxygen-electrode-side separator 4 and the fuel-electrode-side separator 5 shown in the fourth embodiment of the above-described cell and the plate-shaped body B shown in the second embodiment of the above-described cell, the cell C may be configured. Further, the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 shown in the fifth embodiment of the above cell, the plate-shaped body B shown in the first embodiment of the above cell, or the second plate of the above cell, The cell C may be configured using the plate-shaped body B described in the embodiment.

(D) In another method of manufacturing the electrolyte layer 1 exemplified in the above-described third embodiment of the cell, an insulating layer may be formed on a portion of the base material for forming an electrolyte layer, the portion corresponding to the portion having electrical insulation. Materials may be filled.

(E) The method of manufacturing the electrolyte layer 1 used in the cell of the third embodiment is not limited to the method exemplified in the above embodiment. A portion corresponding to a portion between the power generating units Cp may be altered so as to have an electrical insulating property.

(F) The method of providing the electrolyte layer 1 with the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3 is to attach the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3 formed in a film or plate shape to the surface of the electrolyte layer 1. In addition to the above method, various methods such as a method of printing or coating an electrode layer forming material on the surface of the electrolyte layer 1 and forming the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3 on the surface of the electrolyte layer 1 may be used. Can be adopted.

(G) The oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3
A portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent power generation units Cp may be integrally formed in a state having electric insulation.

(H) A low contact resistance between the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the oxygen electrode side separator 4 and between the fuel electrode layer 3 and the fuel electrode side separator 5 at a low contact resistance. A contact current collecting layer may be provided to further reduce the resistance between the electrode layer and the separator. still,
As the current collecting layer, a porous conductive material such as carbon paper and carbon felt can be used. When the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3 are divided so as to correspond to the plurality of power generation units Cp, the current collecting layer also includes the oxygen electrode layer 2 and the fuel electrode layer 3.
Split in the same way as Alternatively, the current collecting layer may be integrally formed with a portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent power generation units Cp so as to have electrical insulation.

(I) In the fuel cell, the form of electrically connecting the power generation section Cp is not limited to the connection forms exemplified in the first and second embodiments of the fuel cell. For example, the plurality of power generation units Cp included in the fuel cell are divided into a plurality of groups so that each group includes the plurality of power generation units Cp, and the plurality of power generation units Cp are connected in parallel for each group. When a parallel-connected power generation unit group connected in parallel to the power generation unit is connected in series, a large current can be taken out. However, the power generation unit C included in the group
It is necessary to make the number of p smaller than the number of the power generation units Cp included in the cell C so that the output voltage of the fuel cell becomes higher than before.

(N) In the fuel cell of the first embodiment, the second, third and fourth fuel cells are replaced with the cells C of the first embodiment.
Alternatively, it may be configured using the cell C of the fifth embodiment.
Further, in the fuel cell of the second embodiment, the cell C of the first, third, fourth or fifth embodiment may be used instead of the cell C of the second embodiment.

(G) In the above embodiment, a part of the cell of the internal humidification type polymer electrolyte fuel cell, that is, a part of the cooling water flowing through the cooling water passage w is formed by the porous part of the fuel electrode side separator 5. Is applied to a cell configured to humidify the polymer membrane constituting the electrolyte layer 1 by allowing the polymer membrane constituting the electrolyte layer 1 to pass through to the fuel electrode side flow path f side, but an external humidification type solid polymer type fuel is used. The cell of the battery, that is, the whole of the fuel electrode side separator 5 is formed in an airtight state, and the fuel electrode side gas or the oxygen electrode side gas is supplied in a humidified state outside,
The present invention can also be applied to a cell configured to humidify a polymer film. In this case, the cooling water passage w may be omitted, and a plate-type heat exchanger may be provided between the adjacent cells C to cool the cells C.

(E) The present invention can be applied to various types of fuel cell cells such as phosphoric acid type, solid electrolyte type, molten carbonate type, etc., in addition to the solid polymer type exemplified in the above embodiment. Can be. When the present invention is applied to a cell of a fuel cell of a type other than the polymer electrolyte type, the oxygen electrode layer 2, the fuel electrode layer 3, the oxygen electrode side separator 4, the fuel electrode side separator 5, the insulating member 6, the oxygen electrode side As a material for forming the conductive path forming member 7 and the fuel electrode side conductive path forming member 8, etc., a material suitable for the applicable model is appropriately selected and used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing cells of a fuel cell according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of the fuel cell according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of the fuel cell according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of the fuel cell according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view for explaining a method of manufacturing a cell of the fuel cell according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a cell of a fuel cell according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fuel cell according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fuel cell according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a cell and a fuel cell of a conventional fuel cell.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 electrolyte layer 2 oxygen electrode layer 3 fuel electrode layer 4 oxygen electrode side flow path forming member 4i insulating member 5 fuel electrode side flow path forming member 5i insulating member 6 insulating member 7 oxygen electrode side conductive path forming member 8 fuel electrode side conductive path Forming member f Fuel electrode side flow path s Oxygen electrode side flow path B Plate-shaped body Cp Power generation unit

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A flat plate-like body in which an oxygen electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer are separately arranged on both sides of an electrolyte layer, and an oxygen electrode side flow path forming an oxygen electrode side flow path on the oxygen electrode layer side A fuel cell comprising a member and a fuel electrode side flow path forming member forming a fuel electrode side flow path on the fuel electrode layer side, wherein a plurality of power generation units are electrically connected to each other. A cell of the fuel cell, which is configured to be provided in a state of being insulated and closely arranged in the width direction of the plate-like body. 2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein an insulating member is disposed between the adjacent power generation units so that the adjacent power generation units are in the electrical insulation state. Cell. 3. An insulating member is disposed between the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member and between the fuel electrode side flow path forming member in the adjacent power generation unit, and an insulating member is provided in the plate-like body. 2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the oxygen electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer are divided so that the adjacent power generation units are in the electrical insulation state. 3. 4. The fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the electrolyte layer is integrally formed in a portion corresponding to a space between the adjacent power generation units so as to have electrical insulation. 5. The oxygen-electrode-side flow path forming member and the fuel-electrode-side flow path forming member are each integrally formed in a state where the insulating member is provided at a portion corresponding to a space between the adjacent power generation units. Item 5. The fuel cell according to item 3 or 4. 6. The oxygen electrode side flow path forming member is formed of an electrically insulating material, and the oxygen electrode side flow path forming member is formed of an electrically insulating material. An oxygen electrode-side conductive path forming member that forms a conductive path connected to the oxygen electrode layer by penetrating the member in the thickness direction of the plate-like body,
And a fuel electrode side conductive path forming member which forms a conductive path connected to the fuel electrode layer through the fuel electrode side flow path forming member in the thickness direction is provided. The cell of the fuel cell according to claim 1. 7. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of power generation units are arranged in a direction orthogonal to a flow direction of the fuel electrode side flow path or the oxygen electrode side flow path. A cell of the fuel cell as described. 8. The method for producing an electrolyte layer of a cell of a fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the liquid electrolyte is supplied in an alternately arranged state from an alternately arranged electrolyte material supply section and an insulation material supply section. A method for producing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell, wherein the electrolyte layer is formed by rolling a material and a liquid insulating material with a roller. 9. The method for producing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the porous electrolyte layer-forming substrate made of an electrically insulating material has electrical insulation. A method for producing an electrolyte layer of a fuel cell, wherein the electrolyte layer is formed by filling an electrolyte material into a portion excluding a portion to be made. 10. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cells of the fuel cell are arranged side by side in a thickness direction of the plate-like body, and the plurality of cells are arranged in a cell arrangement direction. A fuel cell in which power generation units are connected in series and a plurality of serially connected power generation unit rows connected in series are connected in series. 11. A fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cells of the fuel cell are arranged side by side in a thickness direction of the plate-like body. While the power generation unit is connected in series,
A fuel cell in which a plurality of the series-connected power generation unit rows connected in series as described above are connected in series in the cell arrangement direction.