JP2008010335A - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell capable of carrying out industrial mass production of modules by improving maintenance performance of a fuel cell stack before and after assembling the modules. <P>SOLUTION: In the fuel cell having the fuel cell stack 6 equipped with cylindrical solid oxide fuel battery cells 1, conductive members 7 in which a plurality of the solid oxide fuel battery cells 1 are electrically connected in series and/or in parallel, and retaining members 10a, 10b, 10c equipped with means for applying pressure to the fuel cell stack 6 and a means for fixing the same in a state that the pressure is applied, current collecting plates 8 in order to take out electricity from the fuel cell stack 6 are arranged between the fuel cell stack 6 and the retaining members 10, 10b, 10c, while the current collecting plates 8 and the retaining members 10a, 10b, 10c are coupled by a coupling means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell, and more particularly to a stack of solid oxide fuel cells suitable for electrically connecting a plurality of stacks in which a plurality of solid oxide fuel cells are electrically connected. It is invention regarding.

  The solid oxide fuel cell has a high operating temperature (700 to 1000 ° C.) and is expected as an efficient fuel cell. A solid oxide fuel cell is usually bundled by connecting a plurality (hereinafter, one fuel cell unit may be referred to as “fuel cell”) electrically in series and / or in parallel by a conductive member. A structure called a stack. Further, a plurality of stacks are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel by a conductive member to be used as a structure called a module.

  A conventional stack is formed by previously firing a stack in which fuel cells and conductive members (nickel felt) are assembled and a current collector plate (nickel plate) is disposed at an end portion. Further, the conventional module is formed by directly connecting current collector plates of adjacent stacks or by welding connection to current collector plates of adjacent stacks via a metal plate. (For example, see Patent Document 1)

  However, since the current collector plates or the current collector plate and the metal plate are seized by power generation, when removing a part of the stack in the module due to failure or maintenance, the inside of the stack (connection between the fuel cell and the conductive member) Part, the connection part between the conductive member and the current collector plate, etc.), which may cause poor connection inside the stack, and there is a big problem in the maintenance of the fuel cell.

In addition, when an external force is applied when handling the stack (such as transporting the stack or assembling the module), the conventional stack is sintered once because the connection between the fuel cell and the conductive member is structurally weak. Even after this, there is a problem that connection failure such as peeling or deformation occurs in part or in whole.
Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2002-502100

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell capable of improving the maintainability of the fuel cell stack and performing industrial mass production of modules. That is.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fuel cell assembly comprising a cylindrical fuel cell and a conductive member that electrically connects the plurality of fuel cells in series and / or in parallel. In a fuel cell stack having a body, a means for pressing the fuel cell assembly, and a holding member having a means for fixing in the pressed state, a current collecting plate for taking out electricity from the fuel cell stack Is disposed between the fuel cell assembly and the holding member, and the current collector plate and the holding member are connected by a connecting means.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the current collector plate is a flexible conductive material. (← Parrot return after claim 2)

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the current collector plate is connected and fixed to the outer peripheral side of the holding member.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the plurality of fuel cell stacks are electrically connected via a connection plate.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the current collector plate is made of a metal whose main component is nickel.

  According to the present invention, when the stack is replaced or taken out from a part of the module, the stress acting on the inside of the stack can be relieved, so that the maintainability of the fuel cell can be improved and the industrial mass production of the module becomes possible.

    Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described specifically and in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the basic structure of a solid oxide fuel cell constituting a stack or module according to the present invention. The fuel cell 1 includes an electrolyte 2, an air electrode 3, a fuel electrode 4, and an interconnector 5 connected to the air electrode 3. In the fuel cell having this configuration, air containing oxygen is supplied in the direction of the inside A in the figure, and fuel gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide is supplied in the direction of the outside B. Note that the air electrode and the fuel electrode of the fuel cell can be configured in the reverse manner as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a basic structure showing an embodiment of the stack of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are a CC cross-sectional view and a DD cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a plurality of cylindrical fuel cells 1 are stacked in two parallel 4 series, and the fuel electrode and the interconnector of the adjacent cells or the fuel electrode and the fuel electrode are connected to the conductive member 7. Are electrically connected in series or in parallel. Furthermore, current collector plates 8 are disposed at both ends in the series direction, and holding members 10 are formed so as to surround the periphery.

  The current collecting plate 8 and the holding member 10 are connected by a current collecting plate-holding member connecting portion 9 including a connecting fitting 13. For the connection between the current collector plate and the holding member, an appropriate method such as welding or crimping with a rivet can be used in addition to screwing with a connecting metal fitting. Moreover, it is preferable to provide the connection part of a collector plate and a holding member in the outer side rather than the part which the collector plate and the electroconductive member have connected. With this configuration, when a part of the stack in the module is replaced / removed due to a failure or maintenance, the connection between the holding member and the current collector plate becomes a fixed point, and the fuel cell and the conductive layer are electrically connected. The stress acting on the connecting part of the conductive member or the connecting part of the conductive member and the current collector plate can be suppressed, and electricity can be taken out between adjacent stacks or without causing defects such as poor connection inside the stack. A current collecting member such as a current collecting rod can be easily separated.

  The holding member 10 includes an upper surface holding member 10a, a lower surface holding member 10b, a side surface holding member 10c, an insulating connection portion 11, and a connection portion 12. The upper surface holding member 10 a is electrically connected to the air side of the fuel cell 1. On the other hand, the lower surface holding member 10 b is electrically connected to the fuel electrode side of the fuel cell 1. In FIG. 3, since the upper surface holding member 10a and the side surface holding member 10b are connected by the conductive connecting portion 12, and the lower surface holding member 10b and the side surface holding member 10c are connected by the insulating connecting portion 12, the upper surface holding member 10a. The side surface holding member 10b is electrically connected to the air electrode side, the lower surface holding member 10b is electrically connected to the fuel electrode side, and the fuel electrode side and the air electrode side are insulated by the insulating connection portion 12. Has been. However, the connection between the holding members is not limited to this embodiment, and it is sufficient that at least one of the upper surface holding member or the lower surface holding member is insulatively connected to the side surface holding member. For example, the upper surface holding member can be connected to the side surface holding member by an insulating connection portion, and the lower surface holding member and the side surface holding member can be connected by a conductive connection portion. Further, the upper surface holding member and the lower surface holding member can be connected by an insulating connection portion. The stack 6 is pressed to such an extent that the stack shape is held by the upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b, and the upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b are connected to the side surface holding member 10c by the connecting portion 12 and the insulating connection portion 11. It is being fixed in the state where pressure was applied. An appropriate method such as screws, welding, or crimping with rivets can be used for connecting and fixing the stack holding members. By adopting such a configuration, the stack is pressed and restrained by the holding member even when handling the module during assembly, etc., so that the stress acting on the inside of the stack is relieved, and the fuel cell and the conductive member Occurrence of connection failures such as peeling and deformation of the connection portion can be suppressed. At this time, the holding member can be made of heat-resistant stainless steel, heat-resistant metal such as Inconel, ceramic, etc., which shows rigidity and keeps the structure stable, but keeps the connection between the fuel cell and the conductive member better. Since there is no fear of cracking or the like, it is preferably formed of ferritic stainless steel having a linear expansion coefficient close to that of the fuel battery cell. In addition, it is more preferable to use ferrite stainless steel containing alumina because the holding members are prevented from being seized.

5 and 6 show an embodiment of the current collector plate of the present invention. However, these are examples and are not limited. The current collector plate is provided with a current collector plate terminal portion 8a for projecting the current collector plate outside the holding frame. Moreover, the slit part 14 for suppressing the deformation | transformation of the current collecting plate by a heat | fever is provided. The slit portion 14 may have a hole shape as shown in FIG. 5 or a cut shape as shown in FIG. In the current collector plate, the current collector plate-holding member connecting metal fitting hole 15 for allowing the connecting metal fitting between the holding member and the current collector plate to penetrate, and the connecting metal fitting for penetrating adjacent stacks are connected. A stack connecting metal hole 16 may be provided. For the current collector plate, it is preferable to use a nickel-based material having a low specific electric resistance from the viewpoint of suppressing the performance deterioration of the fuel cell due to the current collection loss. (The specific electric resistance of nickel is about 7 to 9 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm, whereas the specific electric resistance of ferritic stainless steel is about 50 to 160 × 10 ⁻⁸ Ωm.)

  7 and 8 show an embodiment of a method for connecting stacks in the present invention. However, these are examples and are not limited. In FIG. 7, adjacent stacks are connected in a state of being arranged in a series direction, and the upper surface holding member 10a of one stack and the lower surface holding member 10b of the other stack are arranged facing each other. The current collector plate 8 is fixed to the upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b by the connecting fitting 13, and the current collector plate terminal portions 8a protruding from the respective holding members are connected to each other by the welded portion 17 at least at one end. Yes. With such a configuration, the assembly of the module can be facilitated. In FIG. 8, adjacent stacks are connected in a state of being arranged in a parallel direction, and one upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b of the other stack are arranged in a horizontal state. The current collector plate terminal portions 8 a protruding from the respective holding members are connected by a welded portion 17. With such a configuration, the assembly of the module can be facilitated.

  The current collector plate of the present invention is preferably a flexible material. By making the current collector plate a flexible material, when connecting the stacks, the shape of the connection surface of the current collector plates can be easily matched and attached. In addition, when taking out a part of the stack for maintenance after power generation, the stress acting on the stack can be released by gradually peeling the seized current collector plates from the edges, and excessive stress acts on the stack. Since this can be suppressed, the stacks can be easily separated.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a basic structure showing another embodiment of the stack of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the structure is the same as that of the stack of FIG. 2 except that the side surface holding members are brought to the opening end side and the sealing end side of the stack. By bringing the side surface holding members to the opening end side and the sealing end side of the stack, the stacks can be connected without worrying about the contact between the side surface holding members, so that the module can be made more compact. .

  FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a basic structure showing another embodiment of the stack of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. The stack shown in FIG. 10 has the same configuration as that of FIG. 2 except that the current collector plate 8 protruding from the holding member is folded back to the outer peripheral surface side of the upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b. With such a configuration, a part of the current collector plate (current collector terminal) can be integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the holding member, so that it can be easily connected to another stack via the connection plate. Further, since the current collector plate terminal portion is folded and fixed to the holding member, the stack can be formed in a simple prismatic structure, and can be easily handled in manufacturing, transportation, and the like.

  12 is a plan view of the stack of FIG. 10 as viewed from the upper surface holding member side. Between the connecting portions 12 between the upper surface holding member 10a and the side surface holding member 10c, a current collector plate terminal portion 8a that is a part of the current collector plate 8 is formed by being folded back on the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface holding member 10a. Thus, the current collector plate 8 and the upper surface holding member 10a are connected. Further, a stack connecting metal hole 18 is formed for attaching a connection plate for connecting adjacent stacks or a stack and a current collecting rod for taking out electricity. With this configuration, the module can be easily assembled.

  13 and 14 show another embodiment of a method for connecting stacks in the present invention. However, these are examples and are not limited. In FIG. 13, adjacent stacks are connected in a state of being arranged in a series direction, and the upper surface holding member 10a of one stack and the lower surface holding member 10b of the other stack are arranged facing each other. The current collector plate 8 is fixed to the upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b by the connecting fitting 13 in a state where the current collector plate terminal portion 8a is folded and is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the holding member. The stack connection plate 19 is sandwiched between adjacent stacks, and the upper surface holding member 10a, the stack connection plate 19 and the lower surface holding member 10b are connected and fixed by the stack fixing bracket 20. In addition, the stack connection plate 19 forms an exposed portion 21 that partially protrudes from the end portion. In FIG. 14, adjacent stacks are connected in a state of being arranged in a parallel direction, and one upper surface holding member 10a and the lower surface holding member 10b of the other stack are arranged in a horizontal state. A stack connection plate 19 is arranged at a terminal of the current collector plate 8 looped at one end of each holding member, and a stack fixing plate 22 that keeps the contact area of the connection portion stable, an upper surface holding member 10a, and a lower surface holding member 10b. Are connected and fixed by the stack fixing bracket 20. In addition, the stack connection plate 19 forms an exposed portion 21 that partially protrudes from the end portion. With such a configuration, when the stack is separated by removing the contact portion between the current collector plate and the stack connection plate that are seized after power generation, the stress acting on the holding member is gradually peeled off from the exposed portion of the stack connection plate. Since it can escape and it becomes difficult to give an excessive stress to a holding member, the stack which it wants to take out can be easily removed, without affecting other stacks. Therefore, the assembly property and maintenance property of the module can be further improved.

  The current collector plate and the stack connection plate of the present invention are preferably made of nickel. As a result, in the power generation environment of the fuel cell in a reducing atmosphere containing water vapor at 700 to 1000 ° C., the current collector plate and the stack connection plate can be prevented from being deteriorated, and the current collector structure of the fuel cell can be kept stable.

  The thickness of the current collector plate and the stack connection plate may be appropriately determined in consideration of the assembly of the fuel cell and electrical characteristics, but is preferably configured with a thickness of 0.1 to 1.0 mm. Is 0.2 to 0.5 mm. By setting it as the said range, it is easy to obtain the flexibility of a base material, and a fuel cell can be assembled easily. Further, even in a power generation environment of a fuel cell in a reducing atmosphere containing water vapor at 700 to 1000 ° C., the electrical conductivity of the current collector plate and the stack connection plate can be maintained well, and the current collector structure of the fuel cell can be kept stable. it can.

  Regardless of the embodiment described above, the fuel cell of the present invention uses a material that exhibits conductivity in an oxidizing atmosphere made of silver, platinum, rhodium, indium, ruthenium, or the like as the conductive member. It can also be configured such that it flows inside the fuel cell and the oxidant gas flows outside the fuel cell.

It is a figure which shows the basic structure of the solid oxide fuel cell of this invention. It is the schematic of the basic structure which shows one Embodiment of the stack of this invention. It is a figure which shows CC cross section of FIG. It is a figure which shows the DD cross section of FIG. It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of the current collection board of this invention. It is a top view which shows other embodiment of the current collection board of this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the method of connecting the stacks of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the method of connecting the stacks of this invention. It is the schematic of the basic structure which shows other embodiment of the stack of this invention. It is the schematic of the basic structure which shows other embodiment of the stack of this invention. It is a figure which shows the EE cross section of FIG. It is the top view which looked at the stack of FIG. 10 from the upper surface holding member side. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the method of connecting the stacks of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the method of connecting the stacks of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Solid oxide fuel cell 2 ... Electrolyte 3 ... Air electrode 4 ... Fuel electrode 5 ... Interconnector 6 ... Fuel cell stack 7 ... Conductive member 8 ... Current collecting plate 8a ... Current collecting plate terminal part 9 ... Current collecting Plate-holding member connecting portion 10 ... Holding member 10a ... Upper surface holding member 10b ... Lower surface holding member 10c ... Side surface holding member 11 ... Insulating connection portion 12 ... Connection portion 13 ... Connecting metal fitting 14 ... Current collecting plate slit portion 15 ... Current collecting plate -Holding member connecting bracket hole 16, 18 ... Stack connecting bracket hole 17 ... Welding portion 19 ... Stack connecting plate 20 ... Stack fixing bracket 21 ... Exposed portion 22 ... Stack fixing plate

Claims (5)

A tubular fuel cell;
A conductive member connecting the plurality of fuel cells electrically in series and / or in parallel; and a fuel cell assembly comprising:
Means for pressing the fuel cell assembly;
In a fuel cell stack having a holding member provided with means for fixing in a pressed state,
A current collecting plate for taking out electricity from the fuel cell stack is disposed between the fuel cell assembly and the holding member,
The fuel cell, wherein the current collector plate and the holding member are connected by a connecting means. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the current collector plate is a flexible conductive material. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the current collector plate is connected and fixed to an outer peripheral side of the holding member. The fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of fuel cell stacks are electrically connected to each other through a connection plate. The fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the current collector plate is made of a metal containing nickel as a main component.

Images