JP2015061398A - Fuel cell vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable ensuring that a fuel cell stack is mounted with a simple, compact configuration.SOLUTION: A fuel cell battery 10 includes: a fuel cell stack 12; and a vehicle drive motor 14. The vehicle drive motor 14 includes a motor housing 16 and is provided below the fuel cell stack 12. The fuel cell stack 12 includes a plurality of fuel cells 18 stacked therein, a first end plate 24a and a second end plate 24b being provided on both ends of the fuel cell stack 12, respectively in a stack direction. A bottom 24ae of the first end plate 24a and a bottom 24be of the second end plate 24b are fixed to the motor housing 16.

Description

  The present invention provides an electrolyte membrane / electrode structure in which a pair of electrodes are provided on both sides of an electrolyte membrane, a fuel cell stack in which horizontally elongated separators are stacked in a horizontal direction, and a drive motor. The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle provided.

  For example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes an electrolyte membrane / electrode structure (MEA) in which an anode electrode and a cathode electrode are provided on both sides of an electrolyte membrane made of a polymer ion exchange membrane. The electrolyte membrane / electrode structure is sandwiched between separators to constitute a power generation cell. This fuel cell is usually used as an in-vehicle fuel cell stack by stacking a predetermined number of power generation cells.

  As a configuration for mounting a fuel cell stack on a vehicle, for example, a fuel cell mounting structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This mounting structure includes a fuel cell stack in which a plurality of power generation cells are stacked along the traveling direction of the vehicle, and end plates are disposed at both ends in the stacking direction.

  The fuel cell stack is fixed to a motor unit disposed on the side of the fuel cell stack. Specifically, the motor unit is fixed to one end plate at three sites and is fixed to the other end plate at three sites.

JP 2012-18761 A

  However, in Patent Document 1 described above, the fuel cell stack and the motor unit are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and the mounting structure is considerably enlarged in the vehicle width direction. Thereby, there exists a problem that the space efficiency in a vehicle falls.

  An object of the present invention is to solve this type of problem and to provide a fuel cell vehicle capable of mounting a fuel cell stack with a simple and compact configuration.

  The fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention includes a fuel cell stack and a drive motor that can be driven by the generated power of the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack has a laminate in which an electrolyte membrane / electrode structure in which a pair of electrodes are provided on both sides of an electrolyte membrane and a horizontally long separator are laminated in a horizontal direction. End plates are disposed on both sides of the stack in the stacking direction, and fluid communication holes for flowing at least fuel gas, oxidant gas or cooling medium in the stacking direction are formed at both ends in the horizontal direction of the separator. .

  In this fuel cell vehicle, the drive motor has a motor housing and is disposed below the fuel cell stack. On the other hand, in the fuel cell stack, the lowermost position of the fluid communication hole disposed below both ends in the horizontal direction of the separator is set below the lower end of the electrode reaction surface. And the bottom part located below rather than the fluid communication hole of a pair of end plate is being fixed to the motor housing.

  Further, in this fuel cell vehicle, it is preferable that an arc-shaped cutout shape portion corresponding to the outer shape of the motor housing is provided in the lower center of the fuel cell stack.

  Further, in this fuel cell vehicle, the motor housing is provided with a boss portion to which the bottom portion of the end plate is directly fixed, and the boss portion is provided with a mount bracket for fixing the motor housing to the vehicle frame. Is preferred.

  Furthermore, in this fuel cell vehicle, the fluid communication hole includes a fuel gas inlet communication hole, a fuel gas outlet communication hole, an oxidant gas inlet communication hole, an oxidant gas outlet communication hole, a cooling medium inlet communication hole, and a cooling medium outlet communication. It is preferable to have a hole. The lowermost position of the fuel gas outlet communication hole and the oxidant gas outlet communication hole and at least the lowermost position of the cooling medium outlet communication hole or the cooling medium inlet communication hole should be set lower than the lower end of the electrode reaction surface. Is preferred.

  According to the present invention, the fuel cell stack is disposed above the motor housing, and the bottom portions of the pair of end plates are fixed to the motor housing. Accordingly, the fuel cell stack is firmly and securely mounted on the motor housing.

  Moreover, since the fuel cell stack and the motor housing are arranged in the vertical direction, the fuel cell stack and the motor housing do not increase in size in the horizontal direction, for example, the vehicle width direction. As a result, space efficiency in the vehicle can be improved, and the fuel cell stack can be securely mounted with a simple and compact configuration.

It is principal part side explanatory drawing of the fuel cell vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective explanatory view of the fuel cell vehicle. It is a perspective explanatory view from the 1st end plate side of the fuel cell stack by which the fuel cell which comprises the said fuel cell vehicle was laminated | stacked. It is a perspective explanatory view from the 2nd end plate side of the fuel cell stack. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view of the said fuel cell. It is front explanatory drawing of the said fuel cell. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the fuel cell vehicle shown in FIG. 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fuel cell vehicle (fuel cell electric vehicle) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack 12 and a vehicle drive motor that can be driven by power generated by the fuel cell stack 12. 14.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell stack 12 is accommodated in a front box (so-called motor room) 10 a of the fuel cell vehicle 10. The fuel cell stack 12 is disposed above an arc-shaped motor housing 16 constituting the vehicle drive motor 14 and is fixed to the motor housing 16. Although not shown, the vehicle drive motor 14 may include one in which a speed reducer is integrally provided, and the motor housing 16 may constitute the speed reducer.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fuel cell stack 12 includes a plurality of fuel cells 18 in the vehicle width direction (arrow B direction) intersecting the vehicle length direction (arrow A direction) of the fuel cell vehicle 10 in a standing posture. ). The fuel cell 18 is stacked in a standing posture with the long sides arranged on the upper side and the lower side, thereby forming a stacked body 18as.

  At one end in the stacking direction of the stacked body 18as, the first terminal plate 20a, the first insulating plate 22a, and the first end plate 24a are sequentially disposed outward. At the other end of the fuel cell 18 in the stacking direction, a second terminal plate 20b, a second insulating plate 22b, and a second end plate 24b are sequentially disposed outward.

  A first output terminal 26a connected to the first terminal plate 20a extends from a substantially central portion of the first end plate 24a. A second output terminal 26b connected to the second terminal plate 20b extends from a substantially central portion of the second end plate 24b.

  Both ends of a connecting bar (fastening member) 28 are fixed by screws 30 between the long side on the upper side of the first end plate 24a and the long side on the upper side of the second end plate 24b. The connection bar 28 may not be provided between the bottom (longer side on the lower side) 24ae of the first end plate 24a and the bottom (longer side on the lower side) 24be of the second end plate 24b. Both ends of the connecting bar 28 are fixed by screws 30 between the short sides of the first end plate 24a and the second end plate 24b. A tightening load in the stacking direction (arrow B direction) is applied to the fuel cell stack 12 by each connecting bar 28.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the fuel cell 18 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, and the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 is sandwiched between the first separator 34 and the second separator 36. The horizontally long first separator 34 and the second separator 36 are made of, for example, a metal separator such as a steel plate, a stainless steel plate, an aluminum plate, or a plated steel plate, or a carbon separator.

  An oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a and a fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b communicate with each other in the arrow B direction which is the stacking direction at one end edge of the fuel cell 18 in the arrow A direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 5). Provided. The oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a supplies an oxidant gas, for example, an oxygen-containing gas, while the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b discharges a fuel gas, for example, a hydrogen-containing gas. The oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b are arranged in the direction of arrow C (vertical direction).

  The other end edge of the fuel cell 18 in the direction of arrow A communicates with each other in the direction of arrow B, a fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a for supplying fuel gas, and an oxidant gas for discharging oxidant gas. Outlet communication holes 38b are arranged in the direction of arrow C.

  A pair of cooling medium inlet communication holes 42 a for supplying a cooling medium is provided at the upper edge of the fuel cell 18 in the direction of arrow C. A pair of cooling medium outlet communication holes 42 b for discharging the cooling medium is provided at the lower end edge of the fuel cell 18 in the direction of arrow C.

  The opening shape of the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a and the fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a is set to a triangular shape (or a rectangular shape). The oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b are set such that the upper opening shape is triangular and the lower opening shape is rectangular. The oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b are configured to be longer in the vertical direction than the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a and the fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a.

  The pair of cooling medium inlet communication holes 42a has an opening shape that is a horizontally long rectangle. The pair of cooling medium outlet communication holes 42b has a triangular opening shape. The shape of the cooling medium outlet communication hole 42b is restricted by an arc-shaped cutout portion 62 described later, and the opening shape may be set to a rectangle if possible.

  On the surface 34a of the first separator 34 facing the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32, an oxidant gas flow that communicates with the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a and the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b and extends in the arrow A direction. A path 44 is provided. An inlet buffer portion 45 a having a plurality of embosses is provided on the inlet side of the oxidant gas flow channel 44, while an outlet buffer portion 45 b having a plurality of embosses is provided on the outlet side of the oxidant gas flow channel 44. It is done.

  A fuel gas channel 46 that communicates with the fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b and extends in the direction of arrow A is formed on the surface 36a of the second separator 36 facing the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32. Provided. An inlet buffer portion 47a having a plurality of embosses is provided on the inlet side of the fuel gas passage 46, while an outlet buffer portion 47b having a plurality of embosses is provided on the outlet side of the fuel gas passage 46.

  A cooling medium that connects the cooling medium inlet communication hole 42a and the cooling medium outlet communication hole 42b between the surface 34b of the first separator 34 and the surface 36b of the second separator 36 constituting the fuel cells 18 adjacent to each other. A flow path 48 is provided. The cooling medium flow path 48 extends in the direction of arrow C.

  The first separator 34 and the second separator 36 are respectively provided with seal members 50 and 52 integrally or individually. The sealing members 50 and 52 are made of, for example, EPDM, NBR, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, butyl rubber, natural rubber, styrene rubber, chloroplane, acrylic rubber, or other sealing materials, cushioning materials, packing materials, etc. A sealing member having elasticity is used.

  The electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 includes, for example, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 54 in which a perfluorosulfonic acid thin film is impregnated with water, and a cathode electrode 56 and an anode electrode 58 sandwiching the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 54. Prepare.

  The cathode electrode 56 and the anode electrode 58 are an electrode catalyst formed by uniformly applying a gas diffusion layer made of carbon paper or the like and porous carbon particles carrying a platinum alloy supported on the surface of the gas diffusion layer. And having a layer. The electrode catalyst layers are formed on both surfaces of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 54.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the first separator 34 and the second separator 36, the lowermost position 38be of the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b and the lowermost position 40be of the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b, which are disposed below both ends in the horizontal direction. Is set below the lower end 60e of the electrode reaction surface 60. The electrode reaction surface 60 is a region in which the electrode catalyst layer constituting the cathode electrode 56 and the electrode catalyst layer constituting the anode electrode 58 overlap each other in the stacking direction, and refers to a range where a power generation reaction is actually induced.

  The lowermost position 42be of the pair of cooling medium outlet communication holes 42b, more preferably, the entire region including the lowermost position 42be is set below the lower end 60e of the electrode reaction surface 60. In some cases, the pair of cooling medium inlet communication holes 42a are provided vertically on one end side in the direction of arrow A, and the pair of cooling medium outlet communication holes 42b are provided vertically on the other end side in the direction of arrow A. At that time, the lowermost position of each cooling medium inlet communication hole 42 a and one cooling medium outlet communication hole 42 b is set lower than the lower end 60 e of the electrode reaction surface 60.

  An arc-shaped cutout portion 62 is provided on the bottom side of the first separator 34 and the second separator 36. The notch shape portion 62 is set to a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the motor housing 16 constituting the vehicle drive motor 14. Further, the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 is configured in the same manner. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper part of the vehicle drive motor 14, the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b, the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b, and the cooling medium outlet communication hole 42b have overlapping portions in the direction of gravity.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom end of the first end plate 24a is provided with an arc-shaped cutout portion 62a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom end of the second end plate 24b has an arcuate shape. A notch-shaped portion 62b is provided. The notch shape parts 62a and 62b are set to a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the motor housing 16 constituting the vehicle drive motor 14 (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 3, screw holes 64a are formed on both sides of the bottom 24ae of the first end plate 24a. As shown in FIG. 4, screw holes 64b are formed on both sides of the bottom 24be of the second end plate 24b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an oxidant gas supply manifold 66a, an oxidant gas discharge manifold 66b, a fuel gas supply manifold 68a, and a fuel gas discharge manifold 68b are attached to the first end plate 24a via bolts 70. The oxidant gas supply manifold 66a communicates with the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a, and the oxidant gas discharge manifold 66b communicates with the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b. The fuel gas supply manifold 68a communicates with the fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a, and the fuel gas discharge manifold 68b communicates with the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a cooling medium supply manifold 72 and a pair of cooling medium discharge manifolds 74 and 74 are attached to the second end plate 24 b via bolts 76. The cooling medium supply manifold 72 communicates with the pair of cooling medium inlet communication holes 42a, and the cooling medium discharge manifolds 74 and 74 communicate with the cooling medium outlet communication holes 42b and 42b.

  Instead of the above configuration, all the manifolds (oxidant gas supply manifold 66a, oxidant gas discharge manifold 66b, fuel gas supply manifold 68a, fuel gas discharge manifold 68b, cooling medium supply manifold) are connected to the first end plate 24a. 72 and a pair of cooling medium discharge manifolds 74) may be provided.

  In the front box 10a, the vehicle drive motor 14 is disposed with its axial direction facing the vehicle width direction (arrow B direction) intersecting the vehicle length direction (arrow A direction). As shown in FIG. 7, the motor housing 16 has a pair of boss portions 16a and a pair of boss portions 16b projecting outward at both ends in the vehicle length direction (arrow A direction). The boss portion 16a and the boss portion 16b are provided at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction (arrow B direction). Specifically, it is provided corresponding to the distance between the first end plate 24a and the second end plate 24b.

  A hole 77a is provided in the pair of boss portions 16a. Bolts 78 are inserted into the respective holes 77a from below, and the ends of the bolts 78 are screwed into the screw holes 64a of the first end plate 24a. The first end plate 24 a is directly fixed to the motor housing 16.

  A hole 77b is provided in the pair of boss portions 16b. Bolts 78 are inserted into the respective holes 77b from below, and the ends of the bolts 78 are screwed into the screw holes 64b of the second end plate 24b. The second end plate 24 b is directly fixed to the motor housing 16. The motor housing 16 can receive a tightening load between the first end plate 24a and the second end plate 24b.

  Mount brackets 80a and 80b are fixed to the boss portions 16a and 16b of the motor housing 16 via a plurality of bolts 82, respectively. Specifically, a plurality of screw holes 84a and 84b are formed in the boss portions 16a and 16b, respectively, while a plurality of hole portions 86a and 86b are formed in the mount brackets 80a and 80b, respectively. The bolt 82 is inserted into the hole 86a and the tip thereof is screwed into the screw hole 84a, whereby the mount bracket 80a is fixed to the boss 16a. The bolt 82 is inserted into the hole 86b and the tip thereof is screwed into the screw hole 84b, whereby the mount bracket 80b is fixed to the boss 16b.

  The mounting brackets 80a and 80b are provided with connecting portions 88a and 88b that are fixed to a vehicle frame (not shown) in the front box 10a. By fixing the mount brackets 80a and 80b to the vehicle frame, the vehicle drive motor 14 is mounted in the front box 10a.

  The operation of the fuel cell vehicle 10 configured as described above will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, in the first end plate 24a, an oxidant gas such as an oxygen-containing gas is supplied from the oxidant gas supply manifold 66a to the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a. Further, a fuel gas such as a hydrogen-containing gas is supplied from the fuel gas supply manifold 68a to the fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in the second end plate 24b, a cooling medium such as pure water, ethylene glycol, or oil is supplied from the cooling medium supply manifold 72 to the pair of cooling medium inlet communication holes 42a.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the oxidant gas is introduced into the oxidant gas flow path 44 of the first separator 34 from the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a. The oxidant gas is supplied to the cathode electrode 56 constituting the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 while moving in the arrow A direction.

  On the other hand, the fuel gas is introduced into the fuel gas flow path 46 of the second separator 36 from the fuel gas inlet communication hole 40a. The fuel gas is supplied to the anode electrode 58 constituting the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 while moving in the arrow A direction.

  Therefore, in the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32, the oxidizing gas supplied to the cathode electrode 56 and the fuel gas supplied to the anode electrode 58 are consumed by an electrochemical reaction in the electrode catalyst layer, and power generation is performed. Is called. Thereby, since electric power is supplied to the vehicle drive motor 14, the fuel cell vehicle 10 can run.

  The oxidant gas consumed by being supplied to the cathode electrode 56 flows in the direction of arrow B along the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b, and is discharged from the oxidant gas discharge manifold 66b (see FIG. 3). On the other hand, the consumed fuel gas supplied to the anode electrode 58 flows in the direction of arrow B along the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b and is discharged from the fuel gas discharge manifold 68b.

  The cooling medium supplied to the pair of cooling medium inlet communication holes 42 a is introduced into the cooling medium flow path 48 between the first separator 34 and the second separator 36 and then circulates in the direction of arrow C. After cooling the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32, the cooling medium flows through the pair of cooling medium outlet communication holes 42b and is discharged from the pair of cooling medium discharge manifolds 74 (see FIG. 4).

  In this case, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in the first separator 34 and the second separator 36, the lowermost position 38be of the oxidizing gas outlet communication hole 38b and the lowermost position 40be of the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b. Is set below the lower end 60e of the electrode reaction surface 60. For this reason, it is possible to satisfactorily ensure the discharge of produced water from the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 40b from being blocked. In addition, the generated water can be prevented from flowing back to the electrode reaction surface 60.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fuel cell stack 12 is disposed above the motor housing 16. At that time, the bottom 24 ae of the first end plate 24 a and the bottom 24 be of the second end plate 24 b are fixed to the motor housing 16. Accordingly, the fuel cell stack 12 is firmly and securely mounted by the motor housing 16.

  Moreover, since the fuel cell stack 12 and the motor housing 16 are arranged in the vertical direction, the fuel cell stack 12 and the motor housing 16 do not increase in size in the horizontal direction, for example, the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the space efficiency in the front box 10a can be improved, and the effect that it becomes possible to mount the fuel cell stack 12 reliably with a simple and compact configuration is obtained.

  In addition, arc-shaped notch portions 62 are provided on the bottom sides of the first separator 34 and the second separator 36. Further, arc-shaped cutout portions 62a and 62b are provided on the bottom portion 24ae of the first end plate 24a and the bottom portion 24be of the second end plate 24b.

  For this reason, the vehicle drive motor 14 can be accommodated and disposed corresponding to the notch-shaped portions 62, 62a and 62b, and the entire fuel cell stack 12 can be easily made compact. Accordingly, the occupied dimension in the height direction including the fuel cell stack 12 and the vehicle drive motor 14 can be shortened as much as possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fuel cell vehicle 10a ... Front box 12 ... Fuel cell stack 14 ... Vehicle drive motor 16 ... Motor housing 16a, 16b ... Boss part 18 ... Fuel cell 18as ... Laminated body 24a, 24b ... End plate 32 ... Electrolyte membrane and electrode structure Body 34, 36 ... Separator 38a ... Oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38b ... Oxidant gas outlet communication hole 40a ... Fuel gas inlet communication hole 40b ... Fuel gas outlet communication hole 42a ... Cooling medium inlet communication hole 42b ... Cooling medium outlet communication hole 44 ... Oxidant gas passage 46 ... Fuel gas passage 48 ... Cooling medium passage 50, 52 ... Seal member 54 ... Solid polymer electrolyte membrane 56 ... Cathode electrode 58 ... Anode electrode 60 ... Electrode reaction surface 62, 62a, 62b ... Notch-shaped parts 80a, 80b ... Mount bracket

Claims (4)

An electrolyte membrane / electrode structure in which a pair of electrodes is provided on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, and a horizontally long separator are disposed in both sides of the laminate in which the laminate is horizontally laminated. A fuel cell stack in which fluid communication holes for flowing at least fuel gas, oxidant gas or cooling medium in the stacking direction are formed at both ends in the horizontal direction of the separator;
A drive motor that can be driven by the power generated by the fuel cell stack;
A fuel cell vehicle comprising:
The drive motor has a motor housing and is disposed below the fuel cell stack,
In the fuel cell stack, the lowermost position of the fluid communication hole disposed below both horizontal ends of the separator is set below the lower end of the electrode reaction surface,
A fuel cell vehicle, wherein bottom portions of the pair of end plates positioned below the fluid communication holes are fixed to the motor housing.   2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an arc-shaped cutout portion corresponding to an outer shape of the motor housing is provided at a lower center of the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motor housing is provided with a boss portion to which the bottom portion of the end plate is directly fixed,
The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the boss portion is provided with a mount bracket for fixing the motor housing to the vehicle frame. The fuel cell vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fluid communication hole includes a fuel gas inlet communication hole, a fuel gas outlet communication hole, an oxidant gas inlet communication hole, an oxidant gas outlet communication hole, A cooling medium inlet communication hole and a cooling medium outlet communication hole;
The lowermost position of the fuel gas outlet communication hole and the oxidant gas outlet communication hole and at least the lowermost position of the cooling medium outlet communication hole or the cooling medium inlet communication hole are lower than the lower end of the electrode reaction surface. A fuel cell vehicle characterized by being set to

Images