CN218957778U

CN218957778U - Separator for fuel cell

Info

Publication number: CN218957778U
Application number: CN202223381424.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 田中之人; 大久保拓郎; 安藤敬祐; 小山贤; 新井郁矢; 饭塚夏海
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-16
Filing date: 2022-12-16
Publication date: 2023-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-16

Abstract

The utility model provides a separator for a fuel cell, which has good sealing performance and can reduce assembly procedures. Separators for fuel cells are provided on both sides of an electrolyte membrane-electrode structure, respectively, and the separators are laminated with the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure. The separator includes: a through hole through which a fluid passing through the separator flows; and a plurality of connection channels formed in a convex shape protruding in a thickness direction of the separator and connected to the through holes. The fluid circulates toward the supply target through the plurality of connection channels. And a plurality of connecting channels, each of which is provided with a protruding portion protruding in the thickness direction of the separator.

Description

Separator for fuel cell

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to a separator for a fuel cell.

Background

In order to ensure that more people can use advanced and reliable energy sources, research on energy efficiency, particularly on fuel cells, is being conducted. Among them, there is room for improvement in terms of how the fluid flowing through the separator in the fuel cell is sealed to avoid leakage or mixing, and to reduce the number of assembly processes. The present utility model aims to improve sealability and, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, is expected to contribute to energy efficiency.

[ Prior Art literature ]

[ patent literature ]

Patent document 1 Japanese patent laid-open No. 2022-149486

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model provides a separator for a fuel cell, which has good sealing performance and can reduce assembly procedures.

The separators for fuel cells of the present utility model are provided on both sides of an electrolyte membrane-electrode structure, respectively, and the separators are laminated with the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure. The separator includes: a through hole through which a fluid passing through the separator flows; and a plurality of connection channels formed in a convex shape protruding in a thickness direction of the separator and communicating with the through holes. The fluid circulates toward the supply target through the plurality of connection channels. And a plurality of connecting channels, each of which is provided with a protruding portion protruding in the thickness direction of the separator.

In an embodiment of the present utility model, the protruding portion is formed to be provided continuously between the plurality of connection flow paths.

In an embodiment of the present utility model, the protruding portion is formed to extend in a direction intersecting the plurality of connection flow paths.

In an embodiment of the present utility model, the protruding portion is the same as the plurality of connecting channels in height in the thickness direction of the separator.

In an embodiment of the utility model, the separator further comprises: and a sealed portion that seals between the plurality of connection channels and the through hole, the protruding portion extending along an extending direction of the sealed portion.

In an embodiment of the utility model, the separator further comprises: and a sealing portion that seals between the plurality of connection channels and the through hole, the protruding portion extending along an extending direction of the sealing portion.

In an embodiment of the utility model, the width of the protruding portion is the same as the width of the sealing portion.

In an embodiment of the utility model, the separator further comprises: inclined portions provided on opposite end sides of the plurality of connection channels so as to be inclined with respect to the protruding portions.

In an embodiment of the present utility model, the protruding portion and the inclined portion are provided on the plurality of connection passages on the side close to the through hole and on the side close to the supply object.

In an embodiment of the present utility model, the fluid flowing in the plurality of connection channels is at least one of a refrigerant, a fuel gas, or an oxidizer gas.

In view of the above, in the separator of the present utility model, the protruding portion protruding in the thickness direction of the separator is provided, and the protruding portion is provided between the plurality of connection flow paths. Therefore, the surface irregularities of the separator caused by the plurality of connecting flow paths are improved, so that the sealing property is better. In addition, the sealing position can be positioned more easily by the arrangement of the protruding part, so that the difficulty in assembly is reduced. Accordingly, the separator for a fuel cell of the present utility model has excellent sealability and can reduce the number of assembling steps.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present utility model more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 2A is a partial perspective view of the separator for the fuel cell of fig. 1.

Fig. 2B is a schematic perspective view of the separator of fig. 2A provided with a sealing portion or sealed portion.

Description of the reference numerals

10: a fuel cell;

50: electrolyte membrane-electrode structure;

100: a separator;

110: a through hole;

120: a connection flow path;

130: a protruding portion;

140: an inclined portion;

f: a fluid;

o: supply object

S: a sealing part (sealed part);

d: thickness direction (lamination direction);

w1, W2: width of the material.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. 2A is a partial perspective view of the separator for the fuel cell of fig. 1. Fig. 2B is a schematic perspective view of the separator of fig. 2A provided with a sealing portion or sealed portion. In the present embodiment, the fuel cell 10 is a power source used in an electric vehicle, for example, but the utility model is not limited thereto. As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell 10 includes an electrolyte membrane-electrode structure 50 and separators 100, the separators 100 being provided on both sides of the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure 50, respectively, and the separators 100 and the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure 50 being laminated along a lamination direction D. The specific structure of the separator 100 for the fuel cell 10 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 2B.

Referring to fig. 2A, in the present embodiment, the separator 100 includes a through hole 110 and a plurality of connecting channels 120. The through-holes 110 are for the fluid F passing through the separator 100 to flow, and the through-holes 110 are, for example, holes formed along the lamination direction D, i.e., the thickness direction D of the separator 100, but the utility model is not limited thereto. The plurality of connection channels 120 are formed in a convex shape protruding along the thickness direction D of the separator 100, and communicate with the through holes 110. The fluid F flows through the plurality of connection channels 120 toward the object O, that is, the connection channels 120 extend from the through holes 110 toward the object O. The plurality of connection channels 120 are provided with protrusions 130 protruding in the thickness direction D of the separator 100 therebetween, and the plurality of connection channels 120 and the protrusions 130 have the same protruding direction. The plurality of connection channels 120 are arranged at intervals along a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction D and the extending direction of the connection channels 120, for example, but the utility model is not limited thereto; the fluid F flowing through the plurality of connecting channels 120 is, for example, at least one of a refrigerant, a fuel gas, or an oxidizing gas, but may be any other fluid commonly used in fuel cells.

As can be seen from this, in the separator 100 of the present embodiment, the protruding portion 130 protruding in the thickness direction D of the separator 100 is provided, and the protruding portion 130 is provided between the plurality of connection channels 120. Therefore, the surface irregularities of the separator 100 caused by the plurality of connection channels 120 are improved, so that the sealing performance is better. In addition, the sealing position can be positioned more easily by the provision of the protruding portion 130, and difficulty in assembly is reduced. Accordingly, the separator 100 for the fuel cell 10 of the present embodiment has excellent sealability and can reduce the number of assembling steps.

Further, in the present embodiment, the protruding portion 130 is formed so as to be provided continuously between the plurality of connection flow paths 120. The protruding portion 130 extends along a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the plurality of connecting channels 120 (specifically, a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the connecting channels 120, but the present utility model is not limited thereto), and the protruding portion 130 has the same height as the plurality of connecting channels 120 in the thickness direction D of the separator 100. In this way, the protrusion 130 having the same height as the connection flow path 120 can improve the surface roughness of the separator 100, and can maintain high consistency in successive arrangement, thereby improving sealability to prevent leakage or mixing of the fluid F.

Referring to fig. 2B, in the present embodiment, the separator 100 further includes a sealing portion S or a sealed portion S. The sealing portion S (sealed portion S) seals between the plurality of connection channels 120 and the through-hole 110 to prevent leakage or mixing of the fluid F. The protruding portion 130 extends along the extending direction of the sealing portion S (sealed portion S), in other words, the sealing portion S (sealed portion S) is provided on the protruding portion 130. The width W1 of the protruding portion 130 (as shown in fig. 2A) is the same as the width W2 of the sealing portion S (sealed portion S). Thus, the sealing portion S (sealed portion S) can be more bonded by being provided on the protruding portion 130, and no gaps are generated due to the uneven surface. In addition, the protrusion 130 can more easily position the sealing portion S (sealed portion S) with the same width as the sealing portion S (sealed portion S). Wherein the sealing portion S is integrally formed with the separator 100; alternatively, the sealed portion S may be formed integrally with the separator 100, and the present utility model is not limited thereto.

Referring to fig. 2A and 2B, in the present embodiment, the partition 100 further includes an inclined portion 140. The inclined portions 140 are provided at opposite end sides of the plurality of connection channels 120 obliquely with respect to the protruding portions 130. In other words, of the plurality of connecting channels 120, the connecting channels 120 located at opposite end sides in the extending direction of the protruding portion 130 are provided with the inclined portions 140, respectively. The inclined portion 140 extends along the extending direction of the protruding portion 130 and is inclined to be opposite to the protruding direction of the protruding portion 130. Accordingly, the sealing portion S or the sealed portion S is guided by the inclined portion 140 to be easily disposed on the protruding portion 130, thereby reducing difficulty in assembly. The protruding portion 130 and the inclined portion 140 are provided on the side of the plurality of connection channels 120 close to the through hole 110 and close to the object O. Further, the fluid F can be prevented from leaking or mixing out of the through-hole 110 or the object O.

As described above, in the separator of the present utility model, the protruding portion protruding in the thickness direction of the separator is provided, and the protruding portion is provided between the plurality of connection channels. Therefore, the surface irregularities of the separator caused by the plurality of connecting flow paths are improved, so that the sealing property is better. In addition, the sealing position can be positioned more easily by the arrangement of the protruding part, so that the difficulty in assembly is reduced. Preferably, the protruding portion is provided continuously between the plurality of connection channels and has the same height as the plurality of connection channels in the thickness direction of the separator. Thus, the uniformity of the height of the separator in the thickness direction can be maintained, and the sealability can be improved to prevent leakage or mixing of fluid. Accordingly, the separator for a fuel cell of the present utility model has excellent sealability and can reduce the number of assembling steps.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present utility model, and are not limiting; although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced with equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A separator for a fuel cell, which is provided on both sides of an electrolyte membrane-electrode structure, respectively, and which is laminated with the electrolyte membrane-electrode structure, the separator comprising:

a through hole through which a fluid passing through the separator flows; and

a plurality of connection channels formed in a convex shape protruding in a thickness direction of the separator and communicating with the through holes, the fluid flowing toward a supply object through the plurality of connection channels,

and a plurality of connecting channels, each of which is provided with a protruding portion protruding in the thickness direction of the separator.

2. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein,

the protruding portion is formed to be provided continuously between the plurality of connection flow paths.

3. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein,

the protruding portion is formed to extend in a direction intersecting the plurality of connection flow paths.

4. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein,

the protruding portion is the same as the plurality of connecting channels in height in the thickness direction of the separator.

5. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a sealed portion for sealing between the plurality of connection channels and the through hole,

the protruding portion extends along an extending direction of the sealed portion.

6. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a sealing part for sealing the plurality of connecting channels and the through hole,

the protruding portion extends along an extending direction of the sealing portion.

7. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 6, wherein,

the width of the protruding portion is the same as the width of the sealing portion.

8. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

inclined portions provided on opposite end sides of the plurality of connection channels so as to be inclined with respect to the protruding portions.

9. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 8, wherein,

the protruding portion and the inclined portion are provided on the plurality of connection passages on the side closer to the through hole and on the side closer to the supply object.

10. The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein,

the fluid flowing in the plurality of connection channels is at least one of a refrigerant, a fuel gas, or an oxidant gas.