JP5443254B2 - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly to a structure for reducing a shortcut of a reactive gas.

  A fuel cell (for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell) supplies a fuel gas such as hydrogen to one surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane having hydrogen ion conductivity and an oxidant gas such as oxygen to the other surface. Thus, an electrochemical reaction is generated through the polymer electrolyte membrane, and the reaction energy generated thereby is electrically extracted.

  A fuel cell is generally configured by stacking a plurality of cells and pressurizing them with a fastening member such as a bolt. One cell is configured by sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly (hereinafter referred to as MEA: Membrane-Electrode-Assembly) between a pair of plate-like conductive separators. Each separator is formed with a supply manifold for supplying a reaction gas (fuel gas or oxidant gas) and a discharge manifold for discharging the reaction gas. A fluid flow path communicating with the supply manifold and the discharge manifold is formed on the MEA side surface of each separator.

  The MEA is composed of a polymer electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrode layers (also referred to as porous electrodes) disposed on both surfaces of the electrode membrane. Each of the pair of electrode layers has an outer size smaller than that of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and is arranged so that a peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane is exposed. The polymer electrolyte membrane and each electrode layer are integrally joined by hot pressing or the like. Between the periphery of the polymer electrolyte membrane and each separator, an annular seal member for preventing leakage of the reaction gas is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the electrode layer.

  In a fuel cell, a fuel gas is supplied as a reaction gas to the fluid flow path of one separator, and an oxidant gas is supplied as a reaction gas to the fluid flow path of the other separator. Thus, an electrochemical reaction occurs in the electrode layer. The fuel cell is configured to take out the electric power generated by this electrochemical reaction to the outside through each separator.

  However, in the conventional fuel cell, all of the reaction gas supplied from the supply manifold should originally flow through the fluid flow path, but a part of the reaction gas is not in the fluid flow path but between the electrode layer and the seal member. There is a so-called shortcut problem. Since the reactive gas flowing through the gap between the electrode layer and the seal member does not contribute to power generation at all, when a shortcut occurs, the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is reduced.

  As a technique for reducing the reactive gas shortcut, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-120376). FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the structure of the power generation cell 100 included in the fuel cell of Patent Document 1. FIG. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the power generation cell 100.

  In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a gap between a seal member 102 located outside one electrode layer (anode electrode) 101 and a seal member 104 located outside the MEA 103 is provided. A structure in which first ribs 106 and second ribs 107 are arranged in a staggered manner in the formed gap 105 is disclosed. This structure prevents the reactive gas from being short-cut through the gap 105.

JP 2006-120376 A

  However, although the structure of Patent Document 1 is effective in preventing a shortcut of the reactive gas through the gap 105, it cannot prevent the reactive gas from short-cutting the gap 108 between the electrode layer 101 and the seal member 102. Therefore, the structure of Patent Document 1 cannot sufficiently solve the problem of the reactive gas shortcut.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell capable of improving the power generation efficiency by further reducing the shortcut of the reaction gas in order to solve the above problems.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of electrode layers facing each other with a polymer electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween, each including a catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer, and a pair of electrode layers sandwiching the electrolyte membrane and the pair of electrode layers, In a fuel cell comprising a pair of opposing separators,
A supply manifold which is provided to penetrate the separator and to which a reaction gas is supplied;
A discharge manifold that is provided to penetrate the separator and discharges the reaction gas;
A fluid flow path for guiding the reaction gas supplied through the pre-Symbol supply manifold to the discharge manifold,
A gas distributor provided between the supply manifold and the fluid flow path;
With
The fluid channel is a plurality of channel grooves provided in parallel in the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction from the gas distribution part toward the fluid channel between the supply manifold and the discharge manifold. Consists of
The gas distribution unit is configured to distribute the reaction gas supplied through the supply manifold to the plurality of channel grooves,
One end of the electrode layer, one end of the gas distributor, and one end of the fluid flow path are one end of the electrode layer and one end of the gas distributor as viewed from the outside of the separator in the X direction. Arranged in this order, one end of the fluid flow path,
When viewed from the Z direction, which is the thickness direction of the separator, the distance between one end of the electrode layer and one end of the gas distribution unit in the X direction is equal to one end of the gas distribution unit and the fluid flow path. greater than the distance between the one end portion, to provide a fuel cell.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a pair of electrode layers facing each other across the polymer electrolyte membrane, each including a catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer, and each other across the electrolyte membrane and the pair of electrode layers In a fuel cell comprising a pair of opposing separators,
A supply manifold which is provided to penetrate the separator and to which a reaction gas is supplied;
A discharge manifold that is provided to penetrate the separator and discharges the reaction gas;
A fluid flow path for guiding the reaction gas supplied through the supply manifold to the discharge manifold;
A gas distributor provided between the supply manifold and the fluid flow path;
With
The fluid channel is a plurality of channel grooves provided in parallel in the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction from the gas distribution part toward the fluid channel between the supply manifold and the discharge manifold. Consists of
The gas distribution unit is configured to distribute the reaction gas supplied through the supply manifold to the plurality of channel grooves,
In the X direction, one end of the electrode layer is positioned outside the separator from one end of the gas distribution unit and one end of the fluid flow path,
In the X direction, the position of the one end of the gas distribution unit and the one end of the fluid flow path coincide with each other,
When viewed from the Z direction, which is the thickness direction of the separator, the distance between one end of the electrode layer and one end of the gas distribution unit in the X direction is equal to one end of the gas distribution unit and the fluid flow path. Provided is a fuel cell that is larger than a distance from one end .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the seal member or the frame body provided with a gap with respect to one end of the electrode layer,
The fuel cell according to the first or second aspect, in which a cross-sectional area of the flow channel located at one end of the fluid flow channel is larger than a cross-sectional area of the gap .

  According to the fuel cell of the present invention, the distance between the one end portion of the electrode layer and the one end portion of the gas distribution portion is larger than the distance between the one end portion of the gas distribution portion and the one end portion of the fluid flow path. Thus, the fuel gas supplied from the supply manifold to the gas distribution unit can easily flow through the fluid flow path. Thereby, the shortcut of a reactive gas can be reduced further and electric power generation efficiency can be improved.

1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a basic configuration of a fuel cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows typically the structure of the electric power generation cell with which the fuel cell of FIG. 1 is provided. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged plan view of an anode separator provided in the power generation cell of FIG. 2. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the electric power generation cell cut so that it may pass along the A1-A1 line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the anode electrode on the anode separator of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a region surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 5. It is a partial expansion perspective view of the anode separator of the power generation cell with which the fuel cell concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention is provided. It is a partially expanded plan view of the anode separator of the power generation cell provided in the fuel cell according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the anode electrode on the anode separator of FIG. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the power generation cell cut along line A2-A2 in FIG. 9. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the electric power generation cell with which the fuel cell concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention is provided. It is a top view which shows the structure of the electric power generation cell with which the fuel cell of patent document 1 is provided. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a power generation cell included in a fuel cell of Patent Document 1. FIG.

Before continuing the description of the present invention, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals in the accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the basic configuration of the fuel cell according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The fuel cell according to the first embodiment is a polymer that simultaneously generates electric power and heat by electrochemically reacting a fuel gas containing hydrogen and an oxidant gas containing oxygen such as air. This is an electrolyte fuel cell.

  In the fuel cell according to the first embodiment, a pair of end plates are arranged at both ends in the stacking direction of a power generation cell stack 1 in which a plurality of power generation cells 10 that are unit cells are stacked via a current collector plate 2 and an insulating plate 3. In a state of being sandwiched between 4 and 4, a fastening member (not shown) is used for pressure fastening.

  The current collector plate 2 is for guiding the current generated by the power generation cell 10 to the outside. The current collector plate 2 is made of, for example, a gas impermeable conductive material such as copper or brass. The current collector plate 2 is provided with a current extraction terminal portion 2a that protrudes in a direction crossing the stacking direction X for connection with an external electric wire. The insulating plate 3 is made of an insulating resin such as a fluorine-based resin or a PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin. The end plate 4 is made of a highly rigid metal material such as steel, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the power generation cell 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the power generation cell 10 includes a membrane electrode assembly 11 (hereinafter referred to as MEA) and a pair of plate-like conductive separators 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> C disposed on both surfaces of the MEA 11. . One of the pair of separators is an anode separator 12A, and the other is a cathode separator 12C. The anode separator 12A and the cathode separator 12C are made of, for example, a carbon-based or metal-based flat plate.

  A fuel gas supply manifold 21, an oxidant gas supply manifold 22, and a cooling medium supply manifold 23 are provided above the anode separator 12A and the cathode separator 12C in the thickness direction. A fuel gas discharge manifold 24, an oxidant gas discharge manifold 25, and a cooling medium discharge manifold 26 are provided below the anode separator 12A and the cathode separator 12C in the thickness direction. Yes.

  A fuel gas passage 31 is formed on the surface of the anode separator 12A on the MEA 11 side as a fluid passage so as to guide the fuel gas supplied through the fuel gas supply manifold 21 to the fuel gas discharge manifold 24. The fuel gas channel 31 is composed of a plurality of channel grooves provided in parallel in the X direction, which is the width direction of the anode separator 12A. Each of the plurality of flow channel grooves is a straight channel groove extending in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction. Each flow channel of the fuel gas flow channel 31 is not limited to a straight flow channel, and even if it is a wave-shaped flow channel, a meandering flow channel having a turn portion It may be.

  An oxidant gas flow path 32 is formed on the surface of the cathode separator 12C on the MEA 11 side as a fluid flow path so as to guide the oxidant gas supplied through the oxidant gas supply manifold 22 to the oxidant gas discharge manifold 25. Has been. The oxidant gas flow channel 32 includes a plurality of flow channel grooves provided in parallel in the X direction. The plurality of channel grooves are straight channel grooves extending in the Y direction, respectively. Each channel groove of the oxidant gas channel 32 is not limited to a straight channel groove, and even if it is a corrugated channel groove, a meandering channel having a turn portion It may be a groove.

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged plan view of the anode separator 12A. As shown in FIG. 3, between the fuel supply manifold 21 and the fuel gas flow path 31 and between the fuel gas flow path 31 and the fuel discharge manifold 24, the fuel gas is supplied to each of the fuel gas flow paths 31. A gas distribution part 33 for distributing (preferably evenly) to the flow channel is provided. The gas distribution section 33 is provided with a plurality of embossments 33a and distribution flow paths 33b.

  Further, the oxidant gas is supplied between the oxidant gas supply manifold 22 and the oxidant gas flow path 32 and between the oxidant gas flow path 32 and the oxidant gas discharge manifold 25. A gas distribution section 34 is provided for distributing the gas to 32 (preferably uniformly). Although not shown, the gas distribution unit 34 is provided with a plurality of embosses and distribution channels, as with the gas distribution unit 33.

  A coolant flow path 35 is connected to the surface of the anode separator 12A opposite to the MEA 11 and the surface of the cathode separator 12C opposite to the MEA 11 so that the coolant supply manifold 23 and the coolant discharge manifold 26 communicate with each other. Is formed. The cooling medium flow path 35 is composed of a plurality of straight-shaped flow path grooves. The flow path groove of the cooling medium flow path 35 is not limited to the straight flow path groove, and may have another shape.

  Each flow channel of the cooling medium flow channel 35 is integrated with a flow channel groove of the cooling medium flow channel 35 formed in the adjacent power generation cell 10 when a plurality of power generation cells 10 are stacked as shown in FIG. Thus, a large-area channel groove is formed. The cooling medium flow path 35 does not need to be provided on both the surface of the anode separator 12A opposite to the MEA 11 and the surface of the cathode separator 12C opposite to the MEA 11, and may be provided only on one of them.

  4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the power generation cell 10 cut along the line A1-A1 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the MEA 11 has a polymer electrolyte membrane 13 having hydrogen ion conductivity and electrode layers 14A and 14C, which are a pair of porous electrodes formed on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane 13. doing. One of the pair of electrode layers is the anode electrode 14A, and the other is the cathode electrode 14C. The anode electrode 14A is provided on one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane 13, and has an anode catalyst layer 15A and an anode gas diffusion layer 16A having gas permeability and conductivity outside thereof. The anode gas diffusion layer 16A has a larger outer size than the anode catalyst layer 15A. Similarly, the cathode electrode 14C is provided on the other surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane 13, and has a cathode catalyst layer 15C and a cathode gas diffusion layer 16C having gas permeability and conductivity outside thereof. Yes. The cathode gas diffusion layer 16C has a larger outer size than the cathode catalyst layer 15C.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an annular seal member 36 is provided on the surface of the anode separator 12A on the MEA 11 side so as to surround the peripheral edge of the anode electrode 14A. The seal member 36 is disposed so as to include the fuel gas supply manifold 21 and the fuel gas discharge manifold 24. The seal member 36 prevents the fuel gas from leaking to the outside. In addition, annular seal members 37 are arranged on the peripheral edges of the oxidant gas supply manifold 22, the coolant supply manifold 23, the oxidant gas discharge manifold 25, and the coolant discharge manifold 26. . These seal members 37 prevent the oxidant gas and the cooling medium from flowing into the fuel gas channel 31.

  Similarly, an annular seal member 38 is provided on the surface of the cathode separator 12C on the MEA 11 side so as to surround the peripheral edge of the cathode electrode 14C. The seal member 38 is disposed so as to include the oxidant gas supply manifold 22 and the oxidant gas discharge manifold 25. The seal member 38 prevents the oxidant gas from leaking to the outside. In addition, annular seal members (not shown) are arranged at the peripheral edges of the fuel gas supply manifold 21, the coolant supply manifold 23, the fuel gas discharge manifold 24, and the coolant discharge manifold 26. ing. These seal members prevent the fuel agent gas and the cooling medium from flowing into the oxidant gas flow path 32.

  Although not shown, a cooling medium supply manifold 23, a cooling medium discharge manifold 26, and a cooling medium flow are provided on the surface of the anode separator 12A opposite to the MEA 11 and the surface of the cathode separator 12C opposite to the MEA 11. An annular seal member is provided so as to include the passage 35. This sealing member prevents leakage of the cooling medium to the outside.

  As each of the sealing members, for example, a sealing member such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber), silicone rubber, or fluorine rubber can be used.

  Next, the positional relationship among the anode separator 12A, the anode electrode 14A, and the seal member 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the state in which the anode electrode 14A is disposed on the anode separator 2 as viewed from the Z direction, which is the thickness direction of the fuel cell. FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a region B1 surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. Here, in the X direction, one end of the gas distributor 33 is 33e, and one end of the anode electrode 14A is 14Ae. One end portion of the fuel gas passage 31 in the X direction, that is, one end portion of the passage groove 31a located closest to the seal member 36 is defined as 31e.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, in the fuel cell of the first embodiment, the distance L2 between the one end portion 33e of the gas distribution portion 33 and the one end portion 14Ae of the anode electrode 14A is the same as the one end portion 33e of the gas distribution portion 33. The fuel gas channel 31 is configured to be larger than the distance L1 with the one end 31e. Here, the anode electrode 14A is generally composed of a flexible conductive porous member having a thickness of several hundred μm. In this case, the anode electrode 14A has a poor outer dimension accuracy and has a variation of about 0.5 mm. Therefore, a gap 40 of about 0.3 mm, for example, is provided between the one end portion 14Ae of the anode electrode 14A and the seal member 36 in order to prevent the anode electrode 14A from riding on the seal member 36 during assembly. Yes. Further, the cross-sectional area of the flow channel 31 a located closest to the seal member 36 in the fuel gas flow channel 31 is designed to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the gap 40.

  According to the first embodiment, the configuration facilitates the flow of the fuel gas supplied from the fuel gas supply manifold 21 to the gas distributor 33 to the fuel gas passage 31. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the flow of the fuel gas into the gap 40 between the one end portion 14Ae of the anode electrode 14A and the seal member 36. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the shortcut of the reaction gas (fuel gas) can be further reduced, and the power generation efficiency can be improved.

  Although only the anode separator 12A has been described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the cathode separator 12C is configured such that the distance L2 is larger than the distance L1, as with the anode separator 12C. Thereby, the shortcut of reaction gas (oxidant gas) can be reduced further, and electric power generation efficiency can be improved.

  Note that it is not necessary to configure both the anode separator 12A and the cathode separator 12C such that the distance L2 is greater than the distance L1, and at least one of the anode separator 12A and the cathode separator 12C is configured such that the distance L2 is greater than the distance L1. Just do it.

<< Second Embodiment >>
FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the anode separator of the power generation cell included in the fuel cell according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the fuel cell according to the second embodiment and the fuel cell according to the first embodiment is that the positions of the one end 33e of the gas distribution part 33 and the one end 31e of the fuel gas flow path 31 are the same. It is. That is, the distance L1 = 0.

  According to the second embodiment, the position of the one end portion 33e of the gas distribution portion 33 and the position of the one end portion 31e of the fuel gas flow path 31 coincide with each other, so that the gas distribution portion 33 is supplied from the fuel gas supply manifold 21. This makes it easier for the fuel gas to flow into the fuel gas passage 31. Thereby, with a simple configuration, the reactive gas shortcut can be further reduced and the power generation efficiency can be improved.

  In the above description, the anode side has been described, but it goes without saying that the cathode side may be similarly configured.

<< Third Embodiment >>
FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view of the anode separator of the power generation cell included in the fuel cell according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which an anode electrode is arranged on the anode separator of FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the power generation cell cut along the line A2-A2 of FIG. The fuel cell according to the third embodiment is different from the fuel cell according to the first embodiment in that the fuel gas channel 31 is provided not in the anode separator 12A but in the anode gas diffusion layer 16A.

  According to the third embodiment, since the distance L2 is configured to be larger than the distance L1 as in the first embodiment, the fuel supplied from the fuel gas supply manifold 21 to the gas distribution unit 33 is configured. The gas easily flows into the fuel gas passage 31. Thereby, with a simple configuration, the reactive gas shortcut can be further reduced and the power generation efficiency can be improved.

  When the fuel gas flow path 31 is provided in the anode gas diffusion layer 16A by pressing or the like, the accuracy of the outer dimension of the anode gas diffusion layer 16A is further reduced. For this reason, it is desirable to provide a wider gap 40 (for example, 0.5 mm or more) between the one end portion 14Ae of the anode electrode 14A and the seal member 36. For this reason, it is preferable to design so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path groove 31 a located closest to the seal member 36 in the fuel gas flow path 31 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the gap 40.

  In the above description, the anode side has been described, but it goes without saying that the cathode side may be similarly configured.

<< 4th Embodiment >>
FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the power generation cell included in the fuel cell according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The fuel cell according to the fourth embodiment is different from the fuel cell according to the first embodiment in that a frame 50 is formed so as to hold the peripheral edge of the polymer electrolyte membrane 13, and the frame 50 and each Sealing members 36 and 38 are provided between the separators 12A and 12C.

  The frame 50 is provided for the purpose of protecting the anode electrode 14A and the cathode electrode 14C and improving the handling properties. As a material of the frame body 40, for example, a resin-based material such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), PP (polypropylene), LCP (liquid crystal polymer) can be used.

  According to the fourth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, since the distance L2 is configured to be larger than the distance L1, the shortcut of the reaction gas can be further reduced with a simple configuration, and power generation can be performed. Efficiency can be improved.

  The frame 50 is formed on the peripheral edge of the polymer electrolyte membrane 13 by injection molding or the like. When the frame 50 is formed, a gap 51 is generated between the frame 50 and the anode electrode 14A and between the frame 50 and the cathode electrode 14C. In the fourth embodiment, it is preferable to design the cross-sectional area of the flow channel 31 a located closest to the seal member 36 of the fuel gas flow channel 31 to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the gap 51. As a result, the fuel gas can be more easily flown into the fuel gas passage 31. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the reactive gas shortcut can be further reduced and the power generation efficiency can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other aspects.

  It is to be noted that, by appropriately combining arbitrary embodiments of the various embodiments described above, the effects possessed by them can be produced.

  Since the fuel cell according to the present invention can further improve the power generation efficiency by further reducing the shortcut of the reaction gas, for example, a home cogeneration system, an automobile fuel cell, a mobile fuel cell, a backup fuel cell, etc. It is useful for applications.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power generation cell laminated body 2 Current collecting plate 3 Insulating plate 4 End plate 10 Cell 11 MEA
12A Anode separator (separator)
12C cathode separator (separator)
13A Anode electrode (electrode layer)
13C cathode electrode (electrode layer)
14A Anode catalyst layer 14C Cathode catalyst layer 15A Anode gas diffusion layer 15C Cathode gas diffusion layer 21 Fuel gas supply manifold (supply manifold)
22 Oxidant gas supply manifold (supply manifold)
23 Manifold for supplying cooling medium 24 Manifold for discharging fuel gas 25 Manifold for discharging oxidant gas 26 Manifold for discharging cooling medium 31 Fuel gas flow path (fluid flow path)
32 Oxidant gas channel (fluid channel)
33, 34 Gas distribution part 35 Coolant flow path 36-38 Seal member 40 Clearance 50 Frame

Claims (3)

A fuel comprising: a pair of electrode layers facing each other across a polymer electrolyte membrane; and a pair of separators facing each other across the electrolyte membrane and the pair of electrode layers , each including a catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer In batteries,
A supply manifold which is provided to penetrate the separator and to which a reaction gas is supplied;
A discharge manifold that is provided to penetrate the separator and discharges the reaction gas;
A fluid flow path for guiding the reaction gas supplied through the pre-Symbol supply manifold to the discharge manifold,
A gas distributor provided between the supply manifold and the fluid flow path;
With
The fluid channel is a plurality of channel grooves provided in parallel in the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction from the gas distribution part toward the fluid channel between the supply manifold and the discharge manifold. Consists of
The gas distribution unit is configured to distribute the reaction gas supplied through the supply manifold to the plurality of channel grooves,
One end of the electrode layer, one end of the gas distributor, and one end of the fluid flow path are one end of the electrode layer and one end of the gas distributor as viewed from the outside of the separator in the X direction. Arranged in this order, one end of the fluid flow path,
When viewed from the Z direction, which is the thickness direction of the separator, the distance between one end of the electrode layer and one end of the gas distribution unit in the X direction is equal to one end of the gas distribution unit and the fluid flow path. A fuel cell larger than the distance from one end. A fuel comprising a pair of electrode layers facing each other across a polymer electrolyte membrane, each including a catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer, and a pair of separators facing each other across the electrolyte membrane and the pair of electrode layers In batteries,
A supply manifold which is provided to penetrate the separator and to which a reaction gas is supplied;
A discharge manifold that is provided to penetrate the separator and discharges the reaction gas;
A fluid flow path for guiding the reaction gas supplied through the supply manifold to the discharge manifold;
A gas distributor provided between the supply manifold and the fluid flow path;
With
The fluid channel is a plurality of channel grooves provided in parallel in the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction from the gas distribution part toward the fluid channel between the supply manifold and the discharge manifold. Consists of
The gas distribution unit is configured to distribute the reaction gas supplied through the supply manifold to the plurality of channel grooves,
In the X direction, one end of the electrode layer is positioned outside the separator from one end of the gas distribution unit and one end of the fluid flow path,
In the X direction, the position of the one end of the gas distribution unit and the one end of the fluid flow path coincide with each other ,
When viewed from the Z direction, which is the thickness direction of the separator, the distance between one end of the electrode layer and one end of the gas distribution unit in the X direction is equal to one end of the gas distribution unit and the fluid flow path. A fuel cell larger than the distance from one end. A seal member or a frame provided with a gap with respect to one end of the electrode layer,
The fuel cell according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the flow channel located at one end of the fluid flow channel is larger than a cross-sectional area of the gap.

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