JP2014082034A - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique in which an inspection on a seal portion at the inside of a fuel cell can be easily and reliably performed.SOLUTION: A single cell 110 of a fuel cell 100 comprises: a membrane electrode assembly 10; and first and second separators 20, 30 arranged on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly 10. A rubber layer 40 bonded to each of the first and second separators 20, 30 and serving as a seal portion is arranged on the outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly 10. In the rubber layer 40, a manifold hole 41 constituting a hydrogen-supply manifold 61 is formed, and an adhesion test section 45 to which an external force for evaluating the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40 relative to the second separator 30 is applied in a tentative way is provided at the inside of the manifold hole 41.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell.

  A fuel cell usually includes a membrane electrode assembly and two separators that sandwich the membrane electrode assembly, and a reactive gas or refrigerant is interposed between the separators that sandwich the membrane electrode assembly. A seal portion for preventing leakage of fluid such as is formed. Since a seal failure in the seal portion causes a decrease in the performance of the fuel cell, it is desirable that an appropriate inspection of the seal portion be performed easily and reliably after the fuel cell is manufactured. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for imaging the inside of a fuel cell by X-ray irradiation in order to inspect a seal portion formed by an adhesive that bonds separators sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly. It is disclosed.

JP 2009-110822 A

  However, the inspection method described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to detect a substantial deterioration state of the seal portion that is difficult to appear in a captured image. Examples of the substantial deterioration state that is difficult to appear in the photographed image include insufficient strength of the seal portion, poor seal, and poor adhesion due to chemical corrosion of the seal portion. Further, the technique of Patent Document 1 requires a device for irradiating X-rays, and there is a problem that the cost for inspection becomes high.

  By the way, in the inspection after manufacturing the fuel cell, it is possible to perform a sampling inspection in which an arbitrary number of samples are disassembled to inspect the seal portion. However, in the sampling inspection, it was not possible to reliably detect defective manufacturing of the seal portion for all fuel cells.

  Further, since the seal portion of the fuel cell is exposed to a fluid such as a reaction gas or a refrigerant during the operation of the fuel cell, it tends to deteriorate over time. Therefore, it is desirable that the inspection of the seal portion can be easily and reliably performed for each individual fuel cell not only at the time of manufacturing the fuel cell but at a predetermined periodic timing after the start of use of the fuel cell. In addition, for the inspection of the seal portion of the fuel cell, it has been required to reduce the size and cost of the equipment for the inspection, to simplify the inspection process, and to improve the efficiency. However, until now, no sufficient ingenuity has been made to meet these requirements.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, a fuel cell is provided. The fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode assembly; first and second separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly; and an outer periphery of a power generation region in which the membrane electrode assembly is disposed. And a seal that is adhered to at least one surface of the second separator and prevents leakage of fluid supplied to the power generation region; exposed to the fluid on the surface of the first or second separator; And an adhesion test part to which an external force is applied as a test for evaluation of the adhesion state of the seal part. According to the fuel cell of this embodiment, it is possible to easily and reliably inspect the adhesion state of the seal portion using the evaluation result of the adhesion state with respect to the adhesion test portion as an index.

(2) The fuel cell of the above aspect includes a stacked body in which a plurality of power generators having the first and second separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly are stacked; An outer periphery of the power generation region, the fluid manifold penetrating the laminated body in the laminating direction; the seal portion prevents leakage of the fluid from the manifold; It may be provided in the manifold. According to the fuel cell of this aspect, since the adhesion test part is provided in the manifold, an external force applied to the adhesion test part for the test can be easily applied from the outside of the fuel cell.

(3) In the fuel cell of the above aspect, the seal portion includes a seal gasket disposed between the power generators in the stacked body and bonded to the first or second separator; The test part may include a gasket adhesion test part for evaluating the adhesion state of the seal gasket. According to the fuel cell of this embodiment, it is possible to easily and reliably carry out the evaluation test on the adhesion state of the seal gasket that is disposed between the power generators.

(4) In the fuel cell of the above aspect, the adhesion test section may be provided for each type of fluid to be exposed. According to the fuel cell of this embodiment, it is possible to easily and reliably detect the deterioration state of the seal portion for each type of fluid to be exposed.

(5) In the fuel cell according to the above aspect, the adhesion test section includes: a first adhesion test section provided for evaluating an adhesion state at an adhesion interface between the first separator and the seal section; And a second adhesion test portion provided for evaluating an adhesion state at an adhesion interface between the second separator and the seal portion. According to the fuel cell of this embodiment, the adhesion state of the seal part is easy for both the adhesion interface between the first separator and the seal part and the adhesion interface between the second separator and the seal part. And it can be inspected reliably. That is, it is possible to easily and reliably inspect the adhesion state for each adhesion interface of the seal portion.

(6) In the fuel cell of the above aspect, the adhesion test portion may be formed as a plurality of protrusions protruding from the surface of the separator. According to the fuel cell of this embodiment, since the adhesion test part is formed as a protrusion, it is easy to apply an external force in the pulling direction to the adhesion test part, and the adhesion test of the seal part can be easily performed. In addition, since a plurality of protrusions are provided as adhesion test parts, the test of the adhesion state of the seal part can be performed by the number of the protrusions.

(7) In the fuel cell of the above aspect, the adhesion test part may be made of the same material as the seal part, and may be adhered to the same surface as the seal part by the same adhesion method as the seal part. good. According to the fuel cell of this embodiment, since the adhesion state of the seal portion is more reflected in the adhesion state of the adhesion test portion, it is possible to improve the inspection accuracy of the adhesion of the seal portion.

  A plurality of constituent elements of each aspect of the present invention described above are not indispensable, and some or all of the effects described in the present specification are to be solved to solve part or all of the above-described problems. In order to achieve the above, it is possible to appropriately change, delete, replace with another new component, and partially delete the limited contents of some of the plurality of components. In order to solve part or all of the above-described problems or to achieve part or all of the effects described in this specification, technical features included in one embodiment of the present invention described above. A part or all of the technical features included in the other aspects of the present invention described above may be combined to form an independent form of the present invention.

  The present invention can also be realized in various forms other than the fuel cell. For example, the present invention can be realized in the form of a fuel cell inspection method and inspection apparatus, a control method for the apparatus, a computer program for realizing the control method, a non-temporary recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, and the like. Also, a method and apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell in which a part to be inspected for inspection is provided in advance, a control method for the manufacturing apparatus, a computer program for realizing the control method, and a non-temporary record in which the computer program is recorded It can be realized in the form of a medium or the like.

The schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of a fuel cell. The schematic front view of a single cell. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the single cell in the formation site | part of an adhesion test part. The schematic diagram for demonstrating the evaluation test of the adhesion state implemented with respect to an adhesion test part. Explanatory drawing which shows the procedure of the manufacturing process of a single cell. Schematic which shows the structure of the single cell of 2nd Embodiment. The schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the single cell of 3rd Embodiment.

A. First embodiment:
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a fuel cell as a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an arbitrary unit cell 110 included in the fuel cell 100 and a part of the separators 20 and 30 adjacent to the unit cell 110 are illustrated, and illustration of other parts is omitted for convenience. It is. Moreover, the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1 has shown the boundary line from which the cutting direction of the cut surface shown in figure changes.

  The fuel cell 100 is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that generates power by receiving supply of hydrogen (fuel gas) and oxygen (oxidant gas) as reaction gases. The fuel cell 100 has a stacked structure (stacked structure) in which a plurality of single cells 110 that are power generators are stacked. Each single cell 110 includes a membrane electrode assembly 10, first and second separators 20 and 30, and a rubber layer 40. The membrane electrode assembly 10 includes an electrolyte membrane 1 and first and second electrodes 2 and 3 disposed on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 1.

  The electrolyte membrane 1 is a fluororesin-based ion exchange membrane that exhibits good proton conductivity in a wet state. The first and second electrodes 2 and 3 can be constituted by a thin film containing conductive particles (for example, platinum-supporting carbon) carrying a catalyst and an electrolyte resin similar to the electrolyte membrane 1. A gas diffusion layer for diffusing the supplied reaction gas may be laminated on the first and second electrodes 2 and 3. In the fuel cell 100 according to the present embodiment, the first electrode 2 functions as an anode (fuel electrode) when supplied with hydrogen, and the second electrode 3 functions as a cathode (oxidant electrode) when supplied with oxygen. ).

  The 1st and 2nd separators 20 and 30 can be comprised by the plate-shaped base material which has electroconductivity, such as a metal plate. The first and second separators 20 and 30 are disposed so as to be electrically connected to the first and second electrodes 2 and 3 of the membrane electrode assembly 10, respectively, and function as current collectors. The first and second separators 20 and 30 have gasket arrangement portions 22 and 32, gas flow channel grooves 23 and 33, refrigerant flow channel grooves 24, and 24, respectively, by unevenness in the thickness direction formed by pressing or the like. 34 are formed.

  The gasket arrangement portions 22 and 32 are formed at positions corresponding to each other at the outer peripheral edge portions of the first and second separators 20 and 30. The gasket arrangement portions 22 and 32 are formed as stepped portions that fall from the contact interface between the adjacent unit cells 110 toward the side where the membrane electrode assembly 10 is arranged. Thus, when the fuel cell 100 is configured, the seal gasket 50 sandwiched between the gasket placement portions 22 and 32 of the first and second separators 20 and 30 is disposed between the adjacent single cells 110. A space is formed.

  Here, the fuel cell 100 passes through the stack of unit cells 110 along the stacking direction, and is connected to a fluid flow path provided inside each unit cell 110, and a manifold through which reaction gas and refrigerant flow. 60. Manifold holes 21 and 31 constituting the manifold 60 are formed as through holes in the gasket arrangement portions 22 and 32 of each single cell 110. The manifold 60 is formed for supply and discharge for each fluid, and specific formation positions thereof will be described later.

  The seal gasket 50 includes a pedestal 51 that comes into surface contact with the gasket placement portion 22 of the first separator 20 and a gasket placement portion 32 of the second separator 30 when the single cell 110 is formed by projecting from the pedestal 51. And a protruding portion 52 that comes into contact. The seal gasket 50 is constituted by an endless frame-like rubber member, and is disposed so as to surround each fluid manifold 60 and a power generation region (a region where the membrane electrode assembly 10 is disposed in the single cell 110). In the single cell 110 of this embodiment, the pedestal portion 51 of the seal gasket 50 is bonded to the gasket placement portion 22 of the first separator 20 by the adhesive layer 53 and integrated with each single cell 110. .

  The gas flow path grooves 23 and 33 and the refrigerant flow path grooves 24 and 34 are formed by corrugated irregularities in the power generation region of the separators 20 and 30 in the first and second. More specifically, the gas flow path grooves 23 and 33 are formed as concave portions on the surfaces facing the electrodes 2 and 3 of the first and second separators. Further, the refrigerant flow channel grooves 24 and 34 are formed as concave portions sandwiched between the convex portions formed by the gas flow channel grooves 23 and 33 on the opposite surface. That is, in each single cell 110, the gas flow path grooves 23 and 33 and the refrigerant flow path grooves 24 and 34 are alternately arranged.

  Note that the gas channel groove 23 formed in the first separator 20 has an opening covered with the first electrode 2 when the single cell 110 is configured, and configures a hydrogen channel in the power generation region. The gas channel groove 33 formed in the second separator 30 has an opening covered with the second electrode 3 when the single cell 110 is configured, and constitutes an oxygen channel in the power generation region. The refrigerant channel grooves 24 and 34 of the first and second separators 20 and 30 face each other when the fuel cell 100 is configured, and constitute a refrigerant channel in the power generation region between the single cells 110.

  The rubber layer 40 is disposed in a region on the outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly 10 between the first and second separators 20 and 30 and functions as a seal portion that prevents fluid leakage. The rubber layer 40 has an adhesive layer (primer layer) 42 on both sides, and bonds the first and second separators 20 and 30 together while being electrically insulated. The rubber layer 40 includes the outer peripheral edge of the membrane electrode assembly 10, so that the outer peripheral edge of the membrane electrode assembly 10 is opposite to the electrode supplied with the reaction gas before being used for the fuel cell reaction. The occurrence of so-called cross leak that moves to the other electrode is suppressed.

In addition, the rubber layer 40 can be comprised by the following resin members, for example.
<Example of material of rubber layer 40>
Fluoro rubber (FKM) / Silicon resin member / Ethylene / propylene / diene rubber (EPDM) / Urethane / Nitrile rubber (NBR) / Styrene / butadiene rubber (SBR) / Isoprene rubber (IR) / Natural rubber, etc.

  The rubber layer 40 has a manifold hole 41 that is a through hole constituting the manifold 60 at a portion sandwiched between the gasket placement portions 22 and 32 of the first and second separators 20 and 30. In all the single cells 110 of the fuel cell 100 of the present embodiment, an adhesion test portion (not shown) for performing an adhesion test of the rubber layer 40 is disposed in the manifold hole 41 of the rubber layer 40. The details will be described later. The rubber layer 40 is formed with a communication flow path for the reaction gas that connects the reaction gas manifold 60 and the hydrogen flow path or oxygen flow path of the power generation region, but the illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of an arbitrary unit cell 110 of the fuel cell 100 as viewed from the first separator 20 side along the stacking direction of the fuel cell 100. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given to the components described in FIG. Moreover, in FIG. 2, the electric power generation area | region 11 is shown in figure with the dashed-dotted line. Further, in FIG. 2, instead of omitting the illustration of the seal gasket 50, the seal line SL formed by the seal gasket 50 is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

  The fuel cell 100 includes, as a manifold 60, manifolds 61 and 62 for supplying and discharging hydrogen, manifolds 63 and 64 for supplying and discharging oxygen, and manifolds 65 and 66 for supplying and discharging refrigerant. ,have. The fluid supply manifolds 61, 63, 65 are formed at positions opposite to or opposite to the respective discharge manifolds 62, 64, 66 across the power generation region 11. The seal line SL formed by the seal gasket 50 is formed so as to surround each of the reaction gas manifolds 61 to 64 and so as to surround both the refrigerant manifolds 65 and 66 and the power generation region 11. Is done.

  By the way, during the operation of the fuel cell 100, the rubber layer 40 is exposed to the fluid in each of the manifolds 61 to 66. Therefore, in each of the manifolds 61 to 66, the fluid promotes aging deterioration of the constituent members of the rubber layer 40 and the adhesive layer 42, and the rubber layer 40 and the first and second separators 20 and 30 are separated. There is a possibility that the adhesiveness between them will be lowered. In particular, since high concentration hydrogen flows into the hydrogen supply manifold 61 at a high pressure, deterioration over time is likely to be promoted.

  Therefore, in the unit cell 110 of the present embodiment, an adhesion test unit 45 serving as an index for evaluating the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40 is disposed in the hydrogen supply manifold 61. Specifically, the adhesion test unit 45 is formed so that the inner peripheral edge of the manifold hole 31 of the second separator 30 protrudes into the hydrogen supply manifold 61 from the inner peripheral edge of the manifold hole 21 of the first separator 20. Bonded on the extended portion 35 formed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the single cell 110 at the site where the adhesion test portion 45 is formed (XX cut in FIG. 2). The adhesion test section 45 is formed as two juxtaposed protrusions on the extension 35 of the second separator 30 in the manifold hole 41 constituting the hydrogen supply manifold 61 of the rubber layer 40. . The adhesion test portion 45 is formed of the same material as the rubber layer 40 and is bonded to the extension portion 35 by an adhesive layer 46 formed of the same adhesive as the adhesive layer 42 of the rubber layer 40. In addition, although mentioned later for details, the adhesion test part 45 is formed with the rubber layer 40 in the formation process of the rubber layer 40.

  Thus, since the adhesion test part 45 is formed with the rubber layer 40 and exposed to hydrogen together with the rubber layer 40 in the hydrogen supply manifold 61, the adhesion state of the adhesion test part 45 is used as an index of the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40. can do. Therefore, by evaluating the adhesion state of the adhesion test section 45, the adhesion state between the rubber layer 40 and the first and second separators 20 and 30 can be evaluated based on the evaluation result.

  4A to 4C are schematic diagrams for explaining an adhesion state evaluation test performed on the adhesion test unit 45. FIG. 4A to 4C schematically show an adhesion test portion 45 bonded to the extension portion 35 of the second separator 30, respectively. 4A shows the adhesion test part 45 during the evaluation test, and FIGS. 4B and 4C show the adhesion test part 45 broken in the evaluation test.

  In the evaluation test of the adhesion state of the adhesion test unit 45, an external force is applied to the adhesion test unit 45 as a test, and the adhesion test unit 45 is dropped from the second separator 30 (FIG. 4A). Specifically, an external force that pulls the adhesion test portion 45 formed as a protrusion in the protrusion direction is applied until the adhesion test portion 45 breaks and falls off the second separator 30.

  When the fracture of the adhesion test part 45 occurs in the adhesive layer 46 at the base of the adhesion test part 45, it can be evaluated that the adhesiveness of the adhesion test part 45 is significantly lowered (FIG. 4B). ). Therefore, in this case, it can be evaluated that the adhesiveness of the rubber layer 40 is also lowered. On the other hand, when the fracture of the adhesion test part 45 occurs in the main body part of the adhesion test part 45 above the adhesive layer 46, it can be evaluated that the adhesion of the adhesion test part 45 is good. (FIG. 4C). Therefore, in this case, it can be evaluated that the adhesiveness of the rubber layer 40 is also in a good state.

  As described above, in the fuel cell 100 of the present embodiment, for each single cell 110, the adhesion test of the rubber layer 40 for all the single cells 110 is inspected by performing an adhesion evaluation test on the adhesion test unit 45. Can be implemented. Therefore, it is possible to easily and reliably detect deterioration such as a decrease in sealing performance in the rubber layer 40 of each single cell 110.

  Moreover, the adhesion test part 45 is formed in the single cell 110 of this embodiment as two parallel protrusion parts. Since one protrusion is broken in one evaluation test, the evaluation test can be performed twice with the single cell 110 of the present embodiment. That is, the evaluation test of the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40 can be performed at two different timings. For example, the adhesion evaluation test of the rubber layer 40 may be performed at the timing of manufacturing defect inspection after the single cell 110 is manufactured and at the predetermined periodic inspection timing after the use of the fuel cell 100 is started. it can.

  By the way, as described above, the adhesion test unit 45 of the present embodiment is formed simultaneously with the rubber layer 40 in the manufacturing process of the single cell 110. An example of a specific manufacturing process of the unit cell 110 will be described below.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of manufacturing steps of the single cell 110 according to the present embodiment. In step S10, first and second separators 20 and 30 are prepared. In step S20, the membrane electrode assembly 10 is disposed on the second separator 30, and the rubber layer 40 and the adhesion test portion 45 are formed. Specifically, a primer such as an adhesive for forming the adhesive layer 42 of the rubber layer 40 is applied to the surface of the second separator 30, and the mold of the rubber layer 40 is placed on the second separator 30. Deploy. Here, the mold has a cavity for forming the rubber layer 40 and a cavity for forming the adhesion test portion 45. The resin member is allowed to flow into the mold to perform injection molding (injection molding), and the resin member is vulcanized to form the rubber layer 40 and the adhesion test portion 45.

  In step S30, the first separator 20 to which the adhesive is applied is disposed on the membrane electrode assembly 10 and the rubber layer 40 bonded to the second separator 30, and the rubber layer 40 and the rubber layer 40 are bonded by hot pressing. Glued. In step S40, an adhesive is applied on the surface of the first separator 20, and a mold for molding the seal gasket 50 is disposed, and the seal gasket 50 is formed by injection molding. The single cell 110 is completed by a series of these steps.

  As described above, according to the fuel cell 100 of the present embodiment, the adhesion test portion that is formed together with the rubber layer 40 in the hydrogen supply manifold 61 of each single cell 110 and serves as an index of the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40. 45 is formed. Therefore, the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40 can be easily and reliably inspected without disassembling each single cell 110.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of unit cells 110A stacked in a fuel cell as a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is substantially the same as FIG. 2 except that an extension 35 and an adhesion test part 45 of the second separator 30 are added in the oxygen supply manifold 63 and the refrigerant supply manifold 65. The configuration of the fuel cell of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the fuel cell 100 of the first embodiment except for the points described below.

  In the single cell 110A of the second embodiment, the adhesion test unit 45 similar to that described in the first embodiment includes the oxygen supply manifold 63 and the refrigerant supply manifold 65 in addition to the hydrogen supply manifold 61. It is provided inside and outside. Here, the aging of the rubber layer 40 may vary depending on the type of fluid to be exposed. However, in the fuel cell according to the second embodiment, an evaluation test of the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40 can be performed for each type of fluid to which the adhesion layer 42 is exposed. Accordingly, it is possible to more reliably detect the aging of the rubber layer 40 in the fuel cell.

C. Third embodiment:
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of a fuel cell as a third embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7A to 7C are schematic cross-sectional views of three types of single cells 111, 112, and 113 constituting the fuel cell of the third embodiment. In addition, the structure of the fuel cell of 3rd Embodiment is the same as that of the fuel cell 100 of 1st Embodiment except the point demonstrated below. In the fuel cell according to the third embodiment, three types of single cells 111 to 113 are combined and stacked. Each of the three types of single cells 111 to 113 is formed with an adhesion test section that evaluates the adhesion state of different adhesion interfaces.

  In the first unit cell 111, the adhesion test unit 45 is bonded to the extension 35 of the second separator 30 provided in the hydrogen supply manifold 61, similarly to the unit cell 110 described in the first embodiment. (FIG. 7A). In the second single cell 112, the adhesion test part 45 is provided on the extension part 25 of the first separator 20 formed so as to protrude into the hydrogen supply manifold 61, similar to the extension part 35 of the second separator 30. It is bonded (FIG. 7B). The second single cell 112 is formed by bonding the second separator 30 to the rubber layer 40 after the rubber layer 40 and the adhesion test portion 45 are formed on the first separator 20. It is also good.

  In the third single cell 113, an adhesion test portion 55 serving as an index of the adhesion state between the seal gasket 50 and the first separator 20 is provided on the extension portion 25 of the first separator 20 in the second single cell 112. It is bonded via 56. Similar to the adhesion test portion 45 of the rubber layer 40, the adhesion test portion 55 is formed as two protrusions arranged in parallel. The adhesion test portion 55 of the seal gasket 50 is molded together with the seal gasket 50 when the seal gasket 50 is injection-molded with respect to the first separator 20. That is, the adhesion test part 55 is made of the same material as that of the seal gasket 50 and is adhered to the extension part 25 of the first separator 20 by the adhesive layer 56 formed of the same adhesive.

  Thus, in the fuel cell according to the third embodiment, the first separator 20, the rubber layer 40, and the adhesion state of the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 provided in the three types of single cells 111 to 113 are used as indices. The adhesion state of the seal gasket 50 and the adhesion state between the second separator 30 and the rubber layer 40 can be evaluated. That is, the adhesion state can be evaluated for each adhesion interface of the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50 that are exposed to fluid as a seal portion of the fuel cell.

D. Variations:
D1. Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 are formed in the manifold 60 of each single cell 110. However, the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 may not be provided in the manifold 60. Each adhesion test part 45 and 55 should just be formed in the place exposed to the fluid supplied to a fuel cell, and the place which can give external force experimentally in the case of the evaluation test of an adhesion state. However, it is preferable that the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 are formed in the manifold 60 because an external force can be easily applied in an adhesion state evaluation test, and visual recognition from the outside is easy.

D2. Modification 2:
In the above embodiment, the adhesion test part 45 or the adhesion test part 55 is formed in all the single cells 110, 110A, 111 to 113 that constitute the fuel cell, but the adhesion test part 45, 55 constitutes the fuel cell. It may not be formed in all the single cells 110, 110A, 111-113. The adhesion test portions 45 and 55 may be formed only in the single cells 110, 110A, and 111 to 113 at predetermined stacking positions.

D3. Modification 3:
In the above-described embodiment, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 are formed as two protrusions arranged in parallel, but the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 may have other configurations. For example, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 may be formed as one protrusion, or may be formed as three or more protrusions arranged in parallel. Moreover, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 may have shapes other than the protrusions. However, it is preferable that the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 are formed as protrusions because an external force in the pulling direction is easily applied in the evaluation test.

D4. Modification 4:
In the above-described embodiment, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 are made of the same material as the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50 to be evaluated for the adhesion state with respect to the separators 20 and 30, and the first or The second separators 20 and 30 were adhered to the same surface. However, the adhesion test sections 45 and 55 may be made of a different material from the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50 that are the objects of evaluation of the adhesion state to the separators 20 and 30, and are adhered by different adhesion methods. Or may be bonded to different surfaces. Moreover, in the said embodiment, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 were formed simultaneously in the formation process of the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50. FIG. However, the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 may be formed in a process different from that of the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50. However, it is preferable that the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 are formed and bonded under the same conditions as the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50 because they can be a more reliable index for the adhesion state of the rubber layer 40 and the seal gasket 50. .

D5. Modification 5:
In the embodiment described above, the rubber layer 40, the seal gasket 50, and the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 have the adhesion layers 42, 53, 46, and 56 formed using separate members such as an adhesive. However, the adhesive layers 42, 53, 46, and 56 formed using separate members may be omitted. In this case, in the manufacturing process of the single cell, the constituent members of the rubber layer 40, the seal gasket 50, and the adhesion test portions 45 and 55 may be melted and bonded to the separators 20 and 30.

D6. Modification 6:
In the first embodiment, the evaluation test for breaking the adhesion test portion 45 has been described (FIG. 4). However, the evaluation test for the adhesion state may be performed by another method. In the evaluation test, it is sufficient that the adhesion state of the adhesion test part 45 can be evaluated, and the adhesion test part 45 does not necessarily have to be broken.

D7. Modification 7:
In the second embodiment, the adhesion test section 45 is formed in each of the supply manifolds 61, 63, 65. However, the adhesion test section 45 of the second embodiment may be provided in each discharge manifold 62, 64, 66 in addition to each supply manifold 61, 63, 65, or each discharge manifold. It is good also as what is provided only in 62, 64, 66.

D8. Modification 8:
In the said 3rd Embodiment, the adhesion test parts 45 and 55 for every adhesion interface were provided in the different types of single cells 111-113. However, each adhesion test part 45 and 55 of 3rd Embodiment is good also as what is each formed in the site | part which does not mutually interfere in the same single cell.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments, examples, and modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the above effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrolyte membrane 2 ... 1st electrode 3 ... 2nd electrode 10 ... Membrane electrode assembly 11 ... Electric power generation area 20 ... 1st separator 21 ... Manifold hole 22 ... Gasket arrangement part 23 ... Gas flow path groove 24 ... Refrigerant Flow path groove 25 ... Extension part 30 ... Second separator 31 ... Manifold hole 32 ... Gasket arrangement part 33 ... Gas flow path groove 34 ... Refrigerant flow path groove 35 ... Extension part 40 ... Rubber layer 41 ... Manifold hole 42 ... Adhesive layer 45 ... Adhesion test part 46 ... Adhesive layer 50 ... Seal gasket 51 ... Base part 52 ... Protrusion part 53 ... Adhesive layer 55 ... Adhesion test part 56 ... Adhesive layer 60 ... Manifold 61 ... Hydrogen supply manifold 62 ... Hydrogen discharge manifold 63 ... Manifold for supplying oxygen 64 ... Manifold for discharging oxygen 65 ... Manifold for supplying refrigerant 66 ... Manifold for discharging refrigerant 100 ... Fuel Battery 110,110A, 111~113 ... single cell SL ... seal line

Claims (7)

A fuel cell,
A membrane electrode assembly;
First and second separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly;
A seal portion that is bonded to the surface of at least one of the first and second separators on the outer periphery of the power generation region where the membrane electrode assembly is disposed, and prevents leakage of fluid supplied to the power generation region When,
An adhesion test portion that is adhered to a portion of the surface of the first or second separator that is exposed to the fluid, and to which an external force is experimentally applied for evaluating the adhesion state of the seal portion;
A fuel cell comprising: The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein
A laminate in which a plurality of power generators having the first and second separators disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly are laminated;
The laminated body has a manifold for the fluid that penetrates the laminated body in the laminating direction at the outer periphery of the power generation region,
The seal portion prevents leakage of the fluid from the manifold;
The adhesion test section is a fuel cell provided in the manifold. The fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein
The seal portion includes a seal gasket that is disposed between the power generators in the laminate and is bonded to the first or second separator,
The adhesion test section includes a gasket adhesion test section for evaluating an adhesion state of the seal gasket. A fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The adhesion test section is provided for each type of fluid to be exposed. A fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The adhesion test section
A first adhesion test section provided for evaluating an adhesion state at an adhesion interface between the first separator and the seal section;
And a second adhesion test portion provided for evaluating an adhesion state at an adhesion interface between the second separator and the seal portion. A fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The adhesion test portion is a fuel cell formed as a plurality of protrusions protruding from the surface of the separator. The fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein
The adhesion test part is made of the same material as the seal part, and is adhered to the same surface as the seal part by the same adhesion method as the seal part.

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