JP4370705B2 - Fuel cell separator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel cell separator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a fuel cell separator 51 shown in FIG. 4 is known. In this fuel cell separator 51, the separator main body 51 is formed so that the groove 54 of the gas introduction portion 53 provided in the separator main body 52 has a tunnel shape. A plate 55 combined with the separator 52 is fixed to the separator body 52 with an adhesive 56, and a gasket (not shown) which is also a component of the separator 51 is molded separately from the separator body 52 and the plate 55. It is a separate part.
[0003]
For fixing the plate 55, as shown in FIG. 5, a method of providing a weir 57 so that the adhesive 56 does not enter the groove 54 of the gas introducing portion 53 has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-2000). 048832 publication).
[0004]
However, in both cases of FIGS. 4 and 5, since the adhesive 56 is used to fix the plate 55 to the separator body 52, an application process and a drying process of the adhesive 56 are necessary, and therefore, the number of man-hours is increased. Therefore, there is a problem that productivity is not so good, and there is a possibility that quality problems such as sticking out of the adhesive 56 and poor adhesion due to uneven application may occur. Further, as described above, since a separate gasket is combined after the plate 55 is assembled, when assembling a large number of separators 51 as in a fuel cell, the assembly of the stack is not so good. There are also inconveniences.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above points, the present invention provides a separator for a fuel cell in which a plate is combined with a separator body so that a groove of a gas introduction portion provided in the separator body has a tunnel shape. It aims at providing the separator for fuel cells which can implement | achieve improvement and the improvement of assembly property.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the fuel cell separator according to the present invention is provided on the upper surface of the gas introduction part so that the groove of the gas introduction part provided between the manifold and the gas flow path in the separator main body has a tunnel shape. A plate is combined with the plate mounting recess without bonding, and a gasket is continuously formed integrally on the upper surface of the separator body and the upper surface of the plate, thereby fixing the plate, and a protrusion is formed in the plate mounting recess. A structure in which the plate is temporarily fixed in the concave portion for mounting the plate without using an adhesive by providing an assembly hole correspondingly to the plate and fitting the assembly hole to the projection. Is provided.
The fuel cell separator according to claim 2 of the present invention is the fuel cell separator according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the plate is the separator main body in a state where the plate is temporarily fixed in the plate mounting recess. A step is set between both surfaces so as to be higher than the upper surface, and a structure is provided in which a gasket that is integrally formed on the upper surface of the separator body and the upper surface of the plate is constrained to the plate. It is what.
[0007]
In the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention having the above configuration, the plate is combined with the separator body in a non-adhering manner, and the gasket is continuously formed integrally on the upper surface of the separator body and the upper surface of the plate to fix the plate. It is possible to fix the plate to the separator body without using an adhesive. Further, since the gasket is integrally formed on the separator body and the plate, the gasket can be handled as an integral part for the separator body and the plate.
[0008]
The proposal includes the following technical ideas.
[0009]
That is, one of the fuel cell separators proposed in the present application is a gas introduction part composed of a plurality of grooves for supplying and discharging fuel gas and air in the gas flow path of the fuel cell separator (collector electrode). Assemble a resin or metal plate to create a tunnel shape to secure the gas flow path, set the periphery of the separator gas flow path and the surface of the plate to be the same surface, and connect the gasket to the surface to communicate with each other Is integrally molded. Assembling of the separator and the plate is performed by processing the protrusion and the assembly hole in each.
[0010]
In addition, in order to solve the problems in the prior art, the separator and the plate are temporarily fixed by a fitting method, and the rubber is integrally formed so as to bridge the separator and the plate. As a result, the separator and the plate are fixed, so that no adhesive is required, man-hours are reduced, and quality is improved. Moreover, since the gasket used separately is also integrated with the separator, the workability at the time of stack assembly can be improved. In this case, the level difference between the separator and the sealing surface of the plate is the same, or the plate is higher within 0.1 mm, preferably within 0.05 mm.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 shows a plane of a fuel cell separator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an AA line enlarged cross section thereof is shown in FIG.
[0013]
The fuel cell separator 1 according to this embodiment includes a separator body 2, a plate 3, and a gasket 4 as constituent parts, and these constituent parts are configured as follows.
[0014]
That is, first, the separator main body 2 is provided with a gas introduction portion 6 for supplying and exhausting fuel gas, air, and the like from the outside to the central gas flow path 5. As shown in FIG. A plurality (six in the figure) of grooves 7 are provided in parallel as gas passages, and a resin or metal plate 3 is placed on the upper surface of the gas introduction portion 6 so that each groove 7 is formed in a tunnel shape. It has been. The gas introduction part 6 is provided between the manifold 12 provided in the separator body 2 and the gas flow path 5.
[0015]
A plate mounting recess 8 for mounting the plate 3 is provided on the upper surface of the gas introducing portion 6, and the upper surface 3 a of the plate 3 attached to the recess 8 is flush with the upper surface 2 a of the separator body 2. It is arranged in a shape. In the recess 8, a required number of protrusions 9 are provided upward, and an assembly hole 10 is provided in the plate 3 correspondingly. Therefore, the plate 3 is temporarily fixed in the recess 8 without using an adhesive by fitting the assembly hole 10 to the protrusion 9.
[0016]
In a state where the plate 3 is temporarily fixed in the recess 8, the gasket 4 is continuously formed integrally with the upper surface 2 a of the separator body 2 and the upper surface 3 a of the plate 3. The gasket 4 is formed of, for example, liquid silicone rubber, and is formed by an injection molding method in a state where the separator body 2 to which the plate 3 is temporarily fixed is inserted into a mold. Simultaneously with the molding, the upper surface 2a of the separator body 2 and the plate 3 Is attached to the upper surface 3a. Therefore, the plate 3 is restrained by the gasket 4 and is permanently fixed in the recess 8 without using an adhesive.
[0017]
In the fuel cell separator 1 having the above configuration, the plate 3 is combined with the separator body 2 in a non-adhesive manner, and the gasket 4 is continuously formed integrally with the upper surface 2a of the separator body 2 and the upper surface 3a of the plate 3 to fix the plate 3 For this reason, the plate 3 is fixed to the separator body 2 without using an adhesive. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the man-hours by omitting the adhesive application step and the drying step from the manufacture of the separator 1, thereby improving the productivity of the separator 1. In addition, since the adhesive is omitted, there is no problem of the adhesive sticking out or adhesion failure due to non-uniform application, so that the quality of the separator 1 can be improved.
[0018]
Further, since the gasket 4 is integrally formed with the separator body 2 and the plate 3, the gasket 4 is handled as an integral part for the separator body 2 and the plate 3 in the separator 1. Therefore, when a large number of separators 1 are stacked and used like a fuel cell, the assembly of the stack can be improved.
[0019]
In the above embodiment, the plate 3 attached to the plate mounting recess 8 provided on the upper surface of the gas introducing portion 6 is configured such that its upper surface 3a is aligned with the upper surface 2a of the separator body 2. However, instead of this, as shown in FIG. 3, a step 11 may be set between both surfaces 2a and 3a so that the upper surface 3a of the plate 3 is higher than the upper surface 2a of the separator body 2. Thereby, the gasket 4 restrains the plate 3 firmly. The size (height) of the step 11 should be 0.1 mm or less, preferably 0.05 mm or less in actual size.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following effects.
[0021]
That is, in the fuel cell separator of the present invention having the above-described structure, the plate is fixed by combining the separator body with the plate in a non-adhering manner and continuously molding the gasket on the upper surface of the separator body and the upper surface of the plate. Therefore, the plate is fixed to the separator body without using an adhesive. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the man-hours by omitting the adhesive application step and the drying step from the manufacture of the separator, thereby improving the productivity of the separator. In addition, the omission of the adhesive does not cause problems such as sticking out of the adhesive or poor adhesion due to non-uniform application, so that the quality of the separator can be improved.
[0022]
Further, since the gasket is integrally formed with the separator body and the plate, the gasket is handled as an integral part for the separator body and the plate. Therefore, when a large number of separators are stacked and used like a fuel cell, the assembly of the stack can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is a plan view of a separator for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a separator for a fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a separator for a fuel cell according to a conventional example. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a separator for a fuel cell according to another conventional example.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell separator 2 Separator main body 2a, 3a Upper surface 3 Plate 4 Gasket 5 Gas flow path 6 Gas introduction part 7 Groove 8 Plate mounting recessed part 9 Protrusion 10 Assembly hole 11 Step

Claims (2)

On the upper surface of the gas introduction part (6), the groove (7) of the gas introduction part (6) provided between the manifold (12) and the gas flow path (5) in the separator body (2) is formed in a tunnel shape. The plate mounting recess (8) is combined with the plate (3) in a non-adhesive manner, and the gasket (4) is connected to the upper surface (2a) of the separator body (2) and the upper surface (3a) of the plate (3). The plate (3) is fixed by integrally molding,
A projection (9) is provided in the plate mounting recess (8), and an assembly hole (10) is provided in the plate (3) correspondingly, and the assembly hole (10) is provided in the projection (9). The fuel cell separator is provided with a structure for temporarily fixing the plate (3) in the plate mounting recess (8) without using an adhesive. The fuel cell separator according to claim 1, wherein
In a state where the plate (3) is temporarily fixed in the plate mounting recess (8), both surfaces (2a) are formed such that the upper surface (3a) of the plate (3) is higher than the upper surface (2a) of the separator body (2). ) (3a), a step (11) is set, and a gasket (4) integrally formed continuously on the upper surface (2a) of the separator body (2) and the upper surface (3a) of the plate (3) is formed. A fuel cell separator provided with a structure for restraining the plate (3).

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