JP2015182719A - fuel cell vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell vehicle which enables a fuel gas leaked from a fuel cell stack to be easily and securely discharged to the exterior of the vehicle with a simple structure.SOLUTION: In a fuel cell stack 12 forming a fuel cell vehicle 10, multiple fuel cells 20 are laminated. Further, a fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a and a fuel gas outlet communication hole 42b are formed at a first end plate 26a at the one end side in a lamination direction. A supply side cover member 76a, which encloses only a fuel gas supply pipeline 66a communicating with the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a, is provided at the first end plate 26a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle including a fuel cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cells are stacked.

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

  In a fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen, which is a fuel gas, may leak into the space in which the fuel cell stack is mounted. For this reason, for example, a fuel cell vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed for the purpose of efficiently discharging hydrogen leaked from the fuel cell stack to the outside.

  In this fuel cell vehicle, a closed space in which the fuel cell is mounted is disposed in front of the passenger compartment. If necessary, a first opening is provided in the upper part of the closed space, and a second opening is provided at a position where negative pressure is generated during traveling, and the fuel cell system is provided in the closed space. The leaked hydrogen is discharged.

  Therefore, when an opening is provided in the upper part of the closed space, hydrogen leaked from the fuel cell system in the closed space can be surely ventilated outside the vehicle, particularly when the vehicle is stopped. In addition, when the opening is provided at the position where the negative pressure is generated, hydrogen leaked from the fuel cell system during traveling can be discharged from the closed space.

JP 2004-040950 A

  In said patent document 1, the opening part is provided in the upper part of closed space. For this reason, hydrogen may remain in the closed space when the vehicle tilts back and forth or tilts left and right. Therefore, there is a problem that the leaked hydrogen cannot be reliably ventilated outside the vehicle.

  The present invention solves this type of problem, and provides a fuel cell vehicle capable of easily and reliably discharging fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell stack to the outside with a simple configuration. Objective.

  A fuel cell vehicle according to the present invention includes a fuel cell that generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, and a plurality of the fuel cells are stacked and end plates are disposed at both ends in the stacking direction. It has a stack. One end plate is formed with a fuel gas inlet communication hole and a fuel gas outlet communication hole through which fuel gas flows in the stacking direction.

  One end plate includes a fuel gas supply pipe communicating with the fuel gas inlet communication hole, a fuel gas discharge pipe communicating with the fuel gas outlet communication hole, and a supply side cover member surrounding only the fuel gas supply pipe. Is provided. A supply-side duct hose that is opened to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle is connected to the supply-side cover member.

  One end plate is provided with a discharge-side cover member that surrounds only the fuel gas outlet communication hole, and the discharge-side cover member has a discharge-side duct hose that opens to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle. It is preferable to be connected.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a stack case that covers the periphery of the fuel cell stack and is configured separately from the supply-side cover member.

  According to the present invention, the one end plate is provided with the supply side cover member surrounding only the fuel gas supply pipe. For this reason, the fuel gas leaked from the fuel gas supply pipe is accommodated in the supply side cover member and does not leak into the vehicle. Further, a supply-side duct hose is connected to the supply-side cover member, and fuel gas in the supply-side cover member is discharged to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle through the supply-side duct hose.

  Therefore, the fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell stack can be easily and reliably discharged outside the vehicle with a simple configuration. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell stack from staying inside the vehicle.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a front portion of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a stack case that houses a fuel cell stack that constitutes the fuel cell vehicle. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view of the fuel cell which comprises the said fuel cell stack. It is a principal part disassembled perspective explanatory view by the side of the 1st end plate which comprises the said fuel cell stack.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a fuel cell electric vehicle. In the fuel cell vehicle 10, a stack case 14 in which the fuel cell stack 12 is accommodated is disposed in a front room (motor room) 18 formed in front of the dashboard 16.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell stack 12 includes a plurality of fuel cells 20 stacked in the vehicle width direction (arrow B direction). At one end in the stacking direction of the fuel cell 20, a first terminal plate 22a, a first insulating plate 24a, and a first end plate (one end plate) 26a are sequentially disposed outward. At the other end of the fuel cell 20 in the stacking direction, a second terminal plate 22b, a second insulating plate 24b, and a second end plate 26b are sequentially disposed outward. A first end plate 26a and a second end plate 26b are disposed at both ends of the fuel cell stack 12 in the vehicle width direction.

  The first end plate 26a and the second end plate 26b are set to have outer dimensions larger than the outer dimensions of the fuel cell 20, the first insulating plate 24a, and the second insulating plate 24b. The first terminal plate 22a may be housed in a recess inside the first insulating plate 24a, while the second terminal plate 22b may be housed in a recess inside the second insulating plate 24b.

  A first power output terminal 28a connected to the first terminal plate 22a extends outward from the center of the horizontally long first end plate 26a. A second power output terminal 28b connected to the second terminal plate 22b extends outward from the center portion of the horizontally long second end plate 26b. The corners of the first end plate 26a and the corners of the second end plate 26b are fixed by tie rods 30 extending in the stacking direction, and the stacked fuel cells 20 have a tightening load in the stacking direction. Is granted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the fuel cell 20, the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 is sandwiched between the first separator 34 and the second separator 36. The 1st separator 34 and the 2nd separator 36 are comprised by the metal separator pressed into the cross-sectional wave shape, or the carbon separator by which the groove process was carried out.

  At one end edge of the fuel cell 20 in the direction of arrow A, an oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a, a coolant inlet communication hole 40a, and a fuel gas outlet communication hole 42b communicate with each other in the stacking direction (arrow B direction). Arranged in the direction of arrow C (vertical direction). The oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a supplies an oxidant gas, for example, an oxygen-containing gas. The cooling medium inlet communication hole 40a supplies a cooling medium, while the fuel gas outlet communication hole 42b discharges a fuel gas, for example, a hydrogen-containing gas.

  The other end edge of the fuel cell 20 in the direction of arrow A communicates with each other in the direction of arrow B, the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a for supplying fuel gas, the cooling medium outlet communication hole 40b for discharging the cooling medium, and the oxidant Oxidant gas outlet communication holes 38b for discharging gas are arranged in the direction of arrow C.

  An oxidant gas flow path 44 communicating with the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a and the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b is provided on the surface of the first separator 34 facing the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32. A surface of the second separator 36 facing the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32 is provided with a fuel gas passage 46 communicating with the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a and the fuel gas outlet communication hole 42b.

  Between the first separator 34 and the second separator 36 constituting the fuel cells 20 adjacent to each other, a cooling medium flow path 48 that connects the cooling medium inlet communication hole 40a and the cooling medium outlet communication hole 40b is provided. The first separator 34 and the second separator 36 are provided with a seal member 50 and a seal member 52 integrally or individually.

  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 FIGS. 1 and 2, an oxidant gas supply manifold 60a and an oxidant gas discharge manifold 60b are screwed to one diagonal position of the first end plate 26a. The oxidant gas supply manifold 60a communicates with the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a, and an oxidant gas supply pipe 62a is connected to the oxidant gas supply manifold 60a. The oxidant gas discharge manifold 60b communicates with the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b, and an oxidant gas discharge pipe 62b is connected to the oxidant gas discharge manifold 60b.

  A fuel gas supply manifold 64a and a fuel gas discharge manifold 64b are screwed to the other diagonal position of the first end plate 26a. The fuel gas supply manifold 64a communicates with the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a, and a fuel gas supply pipe 66a is connected to the fuel gas supply manifold 64a. The fuel gas discharge manifold 64b communicates with the fuel gas outlet communication hole 42b, and a fuel gas discharge pipe 66b is connected to the fuel gas discharge manifold 64b.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first end plate 26a is formed with screw holes 68 on both sides of the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a, and screws 70 are threaded into the screw holes 68 through the fuel gas supply manifold 64a. Is done. A fuel gas supply pipe 66 a that is externally attached to the outer periphery of the tip of the fuel gas supply manifold 64 a is fixed by a band member 72.

  A metal ring (face seal) 74a is fixed to the first end plate 26a around the fuel gas supply manifold 64a. A supply side cover member 76a is fixed to the metal ring 74a so as to surround only the fuel gas supply pipe 66a (including the fuel gas supply manifold 64a). Instead of the metal ring 74a, a rubber O-ring or gasket may be used.

  A plurality of screw holes 78 are formed in the outer peripheral edge portion of the metal ring 74a, while a plurality of hole portions 80 are formed in the outer peripheral flange portion of the supply side cover member 76a corresponding to the screw holes 78. Is done. The tip of the screw 82 inserted into each hole 80 is screwed into the screw hole 78, and the supply side cover member 76a is screwed to the metal ring 74a. The supply-side cover member 76a may be directly fixed to the first end plate 26a without using the metal ring 74a.

  The supply side cover member 76a is made of a resin molded product or an aluminum casting and has a substantially cylindrical shape. The attachment-side end portion 84a of the supply-side cover member 76a is provided with a hole 80 and abuts against the metal ring 74a in an airtight manner. The end 86a on the opposite side of the supply side cover member 76a has a smaller diameter than the end 84a on the attachment side, and fits the outer periphery of the fuel gas supply pipe 66a in an airtight manner.

  A cylindrical pipe connection portion 88a bulges on the outer periphery of the supply side cover member 76a, and one end of a supply side duct hose 90a is connected to the pipe connection portion 88a via a band member 92a. As shown in FIG. 1, the other end of the supply-side duct hose 90a extends in one of the fuel cell vehicles 10 in the vehicle width direction (arrow BL direction) and is connected to the first vehicle exhaust port 94a on the side of the vehicle. . The supply-side duct hose 90a extends in the vehicle width direction after being drawn upward, and preferably extends obliquely upward in the vehicle width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the discharge cover member 76b is screwed to the first end plate 26a so as to surround only the fuel gas discharge pipe 66b (including the fuel gas discharge manifold 64b). Note that the same components as those on the fuel gas supply manifold 64a side are denoted by b instead of a in the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the other end of the discharge-side duct hose 90b connected to the discharge-side cover member 76b extends to one side in the vehicle width direction (arrow BL direction) of the fuel cell vehicle 10, and 2 Connected to the vehicle exhaust port 94b.

  The second end plate 26b is provided with a cooling medium supply manifold (not shown) communicating with the cooling medium inlet communication hole 40a and a cooling medium discharge manifold (not shown) communicating with the cooling medium outlet communication hole 40b. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell stack 12 is housed in a stack case 14 having a rectangular shape in plan view, for example. The stack case 14 includes a front side panel 96, a rear side panel 98, an upper panel 100, a lower panel 102, a first end plate 26a, and a second end plate 26b.

  Each component constituting the stack case 14 is fixed to the first end plate 26a and the second end plate 26b by screws 108 that are screwed into the screw holes 106 through the holes 104. The stack case 14 covers the periphery of the fuel cell stack 12, and is configured separately from the supply side cover member 76a and the discharge side cover member 76b.

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

  First, during operation of the fuel cell vehicle 10, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, fuel gas is supplied from the fuel gas supply manifold 64a of the first end plate 26a to the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a. On the other hand, the oxidant gas is supplied from the oxidant gas supply manifold 60a of the first end plate 26a to the oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel gas is introduced into the fuel gas flow path 46 of the second separator 36 from the fuel gas inlet communication hole 42a. The hydrogen gas is supplied along the anode electrode 58 constituting the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32. 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 along the cathode electrode 56 constituting the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32.

  Therefore, in the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32, the hydrogen gas supplied to the anode electrode 58 and the air supplied to the cathode electrode 56 are consumed by an electrochemical reaction in the electrode catalyst layer, and electric power is generated.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fuel gas is discharged from the fuel gas outlet communication hole 42b to the fuel gas discharge manifold 64b of the first end plate 26a. The oxidant gas is discharged from the oxidant gas outlet communication hole 38b to the oxidant gas discharge manifold 60b of the first end plate 26a.

  Further, the cooling medium is supplied from the cooling medium supply manifold (not shown) of the second end plate 26b to the cooling medium inlet communication hole 40a. As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling medium is introduced into the cooling medium flow path 48 between the first separator 34 and the second separator 36. After cooling the electrolyte membrane / electrode structure 32, the cooling medium flows through the cooling medium outlet communication hole 40b and is discharged to a cooling medium discharge manifold (not shown).

  In this case, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the first end plate 26a is provided with a supply-side cover member 76a surrounding only the fuel gas supply pipe 66a. For this reason, for example, the fuel gas leaked from the joint portion between the fuel gas supply pipe 66a and the fuel gas supply manifold 64a or the joint portion between the first end plate 26a and the fuel gas supply manifold 64a is contained in the supply side cover member 76a. Are securely housed and will not leak into the vehicle.

  Further, one end of a supply side duct hose 90a is connected to the supply side cover member 76a, and the other end of the supply side duct hose 90a is connected to the first vehicle exhaust port 94a on the vehicle side portion of the fuel cell vehicle 10. Connected (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the fuel gas in the supply side cover member 76a is discharged to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle 10 through the supply side duct hose 90a.

  As a result, the fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell stack 12 can be easily and reliably discharged outside the fuel cell vehicle 10 with a simple configuration. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell stack 12 from staying inside the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, the first end plate 26a is provided with a discharge side cover member 76b surrounding only the fuel gas discharge pipe 66b. Therefore, for example, the fuel gas leaked from the joint portion between the fuel gas discharge pipe 66b and the fuel gas discharge manifold 64b or the joint portion between the first end plate 26a and the fuel gas discharge manifold 64b enters the discharge side cover member 76b. It is housed and does not leak into the vehicle. As a result, the fuel gas leaked from the fuel cell stack 12 can be easily and reliably discharged outside the fuel cell vehicle 10 with a simple configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fuel cell vehicle 12 ... Fuel cell stack 14 ... Stack case 18 ... Front room 20 ... Fuel cell 26a, 26b ... End plate 32 ... Electrolyte membrane and electrode structure 34, 36 ... Separator 38a ... Oxidant gas inlet communication hole 38b ... oxidant gas outlet communication hole 40a ... cooling medium inlet communication hole 40b ... cooling medium outlet communication hole 42a ... fuel gas inlet communication hole 42b ... fuel gas outlet communication hole 44 ... oxidant gas flow path 46 ... fuel gas flow path 48 ... Cooling medium flow path 54 ... Solid polymer electrolyte membrane 56 ... Cathode electrode 58 ... Anode electrode 60a ... Oxidant gas supply manifold 60b ... Oxidant gas discharge manifold 62a ... Oxidant gas supply pipe 62b ... Oxidant gas discharge pipe 64a ... Fuel Gas supply manifold 64b ... Fuel gas discharge manifold 66a ... Fuel gas supply piping 6b ... Fuel gas discharge pipe 74a ... Metal ring 76a ... Supply side cover member 76b ... Discharge side cover member 88a ... Pipe connection part 90a ... Supply side duct hose 90b ... Discharge side duct hoses 94a, 94b ... Vehicle exhaust port 96 ... Front side Panel 98 ... Rear side panel 100 ... Upper panel 102 ... Lower panel

Claims (3)

A fuel cell that generates power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas is provided. A plurality of the fuel cells are stacked and end plates are disposed at both ends in the stacking direction. A fuel cell vehicle comprising a fuel cell stack formed with a fuel gas inlet communication hole and a fuel gas outlet communication hole through which the fuel gas flows in a direction,
The one end plate has a fuel gas supply pipe communicating with the fuel gas inlet communication hole;
A fuel gas discharge pipe communicating with the fuel gas outlet communication hole;
A supply-side cover member surrounding only the fuel gas supply pipe;
Is provided,
A fuel cell vehicle, wherein a supply side duct hose opened to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle is connected to the supply side cover member. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a discharge side cover member that surrounds only the fuel gas outlet communication hole is provided on the one end plate,
A fuel cell vehicle, wherein a discharge side duct hose opened to the outside of the fuel cell vehicle is connected to the discharge side cover member.   3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a stack case configured to cover the periphery of the fuel cell stack and to be configured separately from the supply side cover member.

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