JPH0845520A - Solid high polymer type fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a solid high polymer type fuel cell which can improve the exhausting efficiency of a produced water, and can reduce the pressure loss of a gas. CONSTITUTION:Corresponding to the main passage of the hydrogen gas, a gas feeding port 16 is provided on a high polymer electrolyte membame. In the peripheral area, a gas exhaust port 17 to correspond to a gas passage to be the main passage for exhaust is provided. A single gas passage 22 to connect the gas feeding port 16 and the gas exhaust port 17 is provided along the surface of an anode 4. The gas passage 22 passes from the gas feeding port 16, through the peripheral edge of an active area, bending corresponding to the apexes of the rectangular active area, and is extended gradually to the inner side in a spiral form. When the gas passage 22 reaches to the center of the active area 4, it is bent corresponding to the rectangular form, and extended in the direction to release the spiral form, toward the periphery this time, and reaches to the gas exhaust port 17. By such a layout of the gas passage 22, the bending amount at the bending part is about 90', and the conversion of the gas flow direction can be relaxed extensively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is a power generating element composed of a hydrogen ion conductive solid polymer sandwiched between carbon electrodes carrying a platinum catalyst, that is, a solid polymer-electrode assembly and It has a structure in which gas passages for supplying respective reaction gases to the respective electrode surfaces are defined and a gas separation member supporting the power generation element from both sides is laminated. Then, the fuel gas is supplied to one electrode, the oxidant gas is supplied to the other electrode, and the energy is extracted by directly converting the chemical energy involved in the oxidation of the fuel gas into electric energy. . In a fuel cell, when an electrolytic reaction occurs, current is generated and water is generated on the cathode side. Further, in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, the operating temperature is lower than that of other fuel cells, so the water generated condenses, the wall surface of the gas passage gets wet, and the generated water adheres to the wall surface one after another. It becomes water droplets, which grow and obstruct the gas flow. This causes a phenomenon in which the electrolytic reaction between the fuel gas and the oxidant gas is less likely to occur partially in the cell and the output of the fuel cell is reduced.

A conventional gas passage has a structure in which, for example, as shown in US Pat. No. 4,988,583, one gas passage connecting a gas supply port and a gas discharge port in a cell is flat. It is provided over the entire surface of the membrane so as to meander over the polymer electrolyte membrane when viewed. Then, the generated water is entrained in the gas by the flow of the gas flowing through the passage and is discharged from the gas passage. Further, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,769,297, a porous plate is arranged on the back side of the electrode to discharge water generated at the cathode side electrode, and the water is generated through the porous plate. It is known to configure to drain water.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved] However, the conventional method for discharging generated water has a problem that the pressure loss in the gas passage becomes large. If a plurality of gas passages are formed so as to extend in parallel in a plan view of the polymer electrolyte membrane, the gas flow velocity is reduced, and dead spots (a portion where generated water accumulates and an electrolytic reaction is less likely to occur) are likely to occur. . Further, in the method disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,583, the gas flow velocity is higher than that in the case where the parallel gas passage is provided, so that the discharge efficiency of the generated water can be improved. By causing the gas to meander over the polymer electrolyte membrane, the flow direction of the gas can be largely changed, so that the flow path resistance increases. Therefore, there is a problem that the pressure difference between the gas inlet and the gas outlet is large and a uniform reaction cannot be obtained. Also, the above-mentioned US Pat.
In the method using a porous plate disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 69,297, the water generated on the cathode side is moved to the anode side due to the gas pressure difference between the cathode side and the anode side. Since the exhaust passage is not provided, the produced water may be entrained in the oxidant gas and moved to the anode side together with the moisture, and the fuel gas may be mixed.

The present invention has been constructed in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to solve the above problems and improve the discharge efficiency of generated water, and reduce the pressure loss of gas. An object of the present invention is to provide a polymer electrolyte fuel cell capable of achieving the above.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows. That is, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention comprises a power generating element in which electrode constituent members are arranged on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and a power generating element extending from both sides of the power generating element member and supported from both sides, and each of the electrodes. In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell constructed by stacking cells each having a pair of gas separation members that define respective reaction gas passages involved in a power generation element from the side of the component, a plane of a polymer electrolyte membrane In view, the gas passage of each cell is formed in a spiral shape, and a gas supply port is formed at one end side of the passage and a gas discharge port is formed at the other end side thereof. In a preferred embodiment, one of the gas passages is configured to connect the gas supply port and the gas discharge port. In another aspect, a plurality of the gas passages are configured to connect the gas supply port and the gas discharge port. Furthermore, in a plan view of the polymer electrolyte membrane, the gas supply port and the gas discharge port are arranged at the peripheral edge of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and the spiral gas passage is inverted at the center of the polymer electrolyte membrane. It can also be configured to do so.

Further, one of the gas supply port and the gas exhaust port may be arranged at the peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and the other may be arranged at the central portion. Further, the cooling water supply port and the cooling water discharge port may be arranged at the central portion or the peripheral edge portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane in a plan view, and both the gas supply port and the gas discharge port of the polymer electrolyte membrane in a plan view. The gas passage may be arranged in the central portion, the gas passage may be spirally extended from the central portion to the outer peripheral portion, and the gas passage may be reversed at the outer peripheral portion and returned to the central portion. Further, according to another feature of the present invention, a power generating element in which electrode constituent members are arranged on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and extending from both sides of the power generating element member and supported from both sides, and the respective electrode constituent members From the side of the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which is configured by stacking cells having a pair of gas separation members that define respective reaction gas passages involved in the power generation element, the gas passages are polymer electrolyte membranes. A plurality of them are arranged side by side in a plan view, and a gas supply manifold is provided between the main gas passage for supplying and distributing the gas to the gas passage of each cell and the gas passage of each cell, A reduction portion is provided in a portion that connects the manifold and the gas passage of each cell.

In this case, in a preferred mode, the passage walls partitioning the gas passages are discontinuous and the gas passages are in communication with each other. According to another feature of the present invention, a cell including a power generating element in which electrode constituent members are arranged on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and a pair of airtight gas separating members arranged so as to sandwich the power generating element member. In the polymer electrolyte fuel cell constructed by stacking the above, a reaction gas supply passage and a gas discharge passage are defined by a porous plate between the cathode electrode of the electrodes and one of the gas separation members. In this case, in a preferred embodiment, a porous plate is arranged between the electrode and the gas separating member, and a gas supply passage to the cathode electrode surface of the cell and a gas discharge passage from the electrode surface are provided in the porous plate. To form. Further, it is preferable that the gas supply passage is formed on one surface of the porous plate and the gas discharge passage is formed on the other surface. A gas discharge passage defined by a wall projecting in a strip shape is formed on one surface of the porous plate, and on the other surface of the porous plate,
It is also possible to configure the discharge passage provided with protrusions that are scattered in a grid pattern.

[0009]

The polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention is constructed by stacking cells including a polymer electrolyte membrane, a power generating element having electrode constituent members on both sides, and a gas separating member arranged on both sides of the power generating element. It Further, a main passage for supplying the fuel gas, the oxidant gas, and the cooling water to each cell is provided in a direction penetrating the cell including the power generation element. The gas passage of each cell is provided along the electrode surface, and in the present invention, it is provided in a spiral shape over substantially the entire surface in plan view. By doing so, the effective reaction area of the cell can be effectively expanded. Further, by providing the layout of the gas passage in a spiral shape, it is possible to minimize the change in the flow direction of the gas flow passing through the inside, and thus to reduce the gas pressure loss. In addition, it is preferable to reduce the pressure loss not only in the gas but also in the flow of the cooling water in order to improve the energy efficiency. Therefore, it is preferable that the cooling water passages are not arranged in a meandering or zigzag shape but laid out in a spiral shape. This is because in the meandering layout, the flow direction of the gas flow is changed by 180 degrees, whereas the spiral shape makes it possible to stop the change of the gas flow flow at a maximum of 90 degrees in most bends.

In another feature of the present invention, the gas passages connecting the gas supply passages and the gas discharge passages of each cell are provided in parallel in a plurality of rows. In this case, the gas passage portion at the inlet of the cell, that is, the manifold. A reduced portion having a small cross section of the gas flow path is provided at a portion communicating with the gas passage. As a result, when passing through this contracting section, the flow velocity increases and the generated water is discharged, and the existence of the generated water in the flow path causes uneven distribution of gas to each branch gas passage. The phenomenon can be resolved. Furthermore, according to another feature,
A porous plate that allows water to pass therethrough is arranged between the cathode side electrode and the gas separation member having a high sealing property. As a result, the generated water can be effectively released from the gas supply passage side to the gas exhaust passage side, and the occurrence of dead spots can be prevented. Further, although the generated water entrains the gas, the same kind of gas on the gas supply side and the gas on the gas discharge side are mixed, and no problem occurs.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing one cell of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell of FIG. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present example supports a polymer electrolyte membrane 2 that carries reaction ions and causes the migration of these ions to cause a reaction, and electrode component members 3 disposed on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane 2. 4 and the gas separating members 6 and 7 that sandwich the power generating element 5 from both sides, that is, the battery component, that is, the cell 1 is laminated. The electrodes 3 and 4 are adhered to the polymer electrolyte membrane 2 on both sides by a hot pressing method or the like. The gas separating members 6 and 7 of this example are made of a conductive, watertight and airtight material such as resin-impregnated carbon, CFRP or amorphous carbon. In the configuration of this example, the fuel gas is hydrogen, which is passed through the anode electrode side, and the oxidant gas is air, which is passed through the cathode electrode side. On the cathode side,
The electrode plate 3 and the porous plate 8 are arranged between the gas separation member 6. The porous plate 8 is electrically conductive,
It can be made of a carbon member having a porous structure. A plurality of parallel grooves 9 are provided on the side of the illustrated porous plate 8 facing the electrode surface, and a plurality of parallel grooves 10 are also formed on the back side thereof. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of spaced parallel spaces 11 are formed by the electrode side of the porous plate 8 and the electrode surface, and these spaces 11 form the gas supply passage of the gas passage. Further, the opposite side of the porous plate 8 and the gas separating member 6 form a plurality of parallel space portions 12, and these space portions form the discharge passage of the gas passage. Further, on the anode side as well, the porous plate 13 is provided between the gas separation member 7 and the electrode 4.
Are arranged, and a plurality of parallel grooves 14 are formed on the electrode side of the porous plate 13, and when the upper end surface of the rib portion 13a is in close contact with the electrode surface, the porous plate 8
Similarly, a plurality of parallel space portions 15 are formed. This space constitutes a gas passage for fuel gas, that is, hydrogen. The back surface of the porous plate 13 on the anode side and the gas separation member 7 are in close contact with each other, and the gas separation member 7 prevents hydrogen from leaking to the outside through the porous plate 13.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross section of the cell cut by a plane parallel to the gas passage.
The gas passage on the cathode side extends along the surface of the cathode electrode, and water is generated when the reaction proceeds. This reaction product water permeates the porous plate and leaks to the discharge side of the gas passage as indicated by the arrow due to the difference in gas pressure between the supply passage and the discharge passage and enters the discharge side gas passage. On the other hand, as shown by the arrow, the oxidant gas goes around the gas supply passage 11 to the left and is guided to the upper gas discharge passage 12 in the drawing. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a formation state of the grooves 9 and 10 on the electrode side surface (front surface) of the porous plate 8 and the gas separation member side surface (rear surface). One end of the gas passage 11 is an open end, and is introduced into the gas passage through this open end and guided from the closed end side to the gas discharge passage 12 shown in FIG. 5 above. That is, the oxidizing gas is as shown in FIG.
5, the gas passage 11 is moved from the lower side to the upper side, is guided from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 5, and is discharged from the closed end side (lower end side) of the passage in FIG. Further, the fuel gas circulates on the anode side electrode surface and is discharged to the main discharge passage (not shown) from the gas discharge port in the same plane. On the other hand, the generated water is discharged from the open end side of the lower end of the discharge passage shown in FIG.

According to the above structure, the produced water can be effectively removed from the reaction section. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell can be operated with high efficiency. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, another example of the porous plate is shown. The back surface of the porous plate 8 of the present example is similar to that of FIG. 5, but the front surface is different from that of FIG. 4 in that pillar-shaped protrusions 8a having a rectangular cross section are scattered in a grid pattern. Since the upper end is the open end in FIG. 6, the gas is introduced from the upper end side, moves upward around the scattered projections 8 a, and is introduced from the upper part of the discharge passage 12 to the lower part. Is guided to the main discharge passage through a discharge port (not shown). FIG.
, Another example of a laminated structure for forming a cell is shown. In the present example, the porous plate 8 on the cathode electrode side has parallel grooves formed only on the side facing the electrode surface, and the back side is formed flat. And
The parallel groove 6a is formed inside the gas separation member, that is, on the porous plate side. In this configuration, when the members are in close contact with each other to form a cell as shown in FIG. 9, the gas supply passage 11 is defined by the porous plate 8 and the cathode electrode 3, and the porous plate 8 and the gas separation passage are separated. A gas discharge passage 12 is defined by the member 6. Also with this configuration, the same effect as the previous example can be obtained. That is, the generated water generated in the cathode electrode through the porous plate 8 enters the gas discharge passage side and is discharged through the gas discharge passage.

The layout of the gas passages on the electrode surface will be described below. Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown a plan view of a portion of a stacked cell including a power generation element as viewed from the anode electrode side. As described above, the portion including the power generation element is configured by sandwiching the polymer electrolyte membrane from both sides with electrode constituent members. In this example, a rectangular polymer electrolyte membrane 2 is provided, and a rectangular active region having a similar shape, that is, an electrode portion 4 is provided inside the polymer electrolyte membrane 2. In the peripheral area beyond the active area of the polymer electrolyte membrane, through holes 16, 17, 1 for passing the main passage of the fuel gas and the oxidant gas and the main passage of the cooling water, which are provided in a direction extending perpendicularly to the paper surface.
8, 19, 20, and 21 are provided. Since the main passage must be paired with the supply passage and the return passage, at least six through holes 16, 1 are provided.
7, 18, 19, 20, and 21 are the polymer electrolyte membrane 2
Will be formed on top. In this example, there are provided through holes 16, 17 and 18, 19 which respectively form a part of a pair of main passages through which hydrogen as a fuel gas and air as an oxidant gas flow. Furthermore, through-holes 20 and 21 for cooling water passages are provided.

In FIG. 10, the gas passage, which is the main passage for hydrogen gas, is located at the upper left, and accordingly, a gas supply port 16 is provided in the polymer electrolyte membrane. In the lower right peripheral area of the polymer electrolyte membrane, a gas discharge port 1 for corresponding to a gas passage which is a main passage for discharge.
7 is provided. In this example, one gas passage 22 for connecting the gas supply port 16 and the gas discharge port 17 is provided along the anode electrode surface 4. The gas passage of the present example passes from the gas supply port 16 through the peripheral portion of the active region, is bent corresponding to each apex portion of the rectangular active region, and gradually extends inward in a spiral shape. In this way, when reaching the central portion of the active region 4, the gas passage 22 extends toward the peripheral portion, in turn, in a direction in which the gas passage 22 is bent and unwound to correspond to the rectangular shape, and reaches the gas outlet 17. . According to the layout of the gas passage 22 of this example, the bending amount of the refraction portion is about 90 degrees, which is in comparison with the layout in which the gas passage is meandered as disclosed in the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 4,988,583. The change in the gas flow direction can be significantly alleviated, the number of bends can be reduced, and the momentum loss of the gas flow can be reduced accordingly, so that the pressure loss of the gas can be reduced. Further, since the pressure loss can be reduced in this way, the drainage efficiency is improved as compared with the structure of the above-mentioned US patent.

FIG. 11 is a modification of the layout of FIG. 10. In this example, the bent portion of the gas passage 22 is eliminated and a curved portion is provided to change the direction of the gas passage 22.
By doing so, the curved portion can suppress the pressure loss lower than that of the bent portion, so that the pressure loss can be further reduced as compared with the case of FIG. 11. By reducing the pressure loss of gas in this way, it is possible to cause a reaction at a uniform pressure and improve the output efficiency of the fuel cell. Also, in the above description,
Although only the layout of the gas passage of the fuel gas on the power generation element has been described, it is preferable to similarly lay out the gas passage of the oxidant gas. When air is used as the oxidant gas, it is necessary to pressurize with a pump. Therefore, if the pressure loss is reduced as described above, the power loss of the pump can be reduced. The efficiency of the battery can be improved. Referring to FIG. 12, a layout of the gas passage 22 according to still another embodiment is shown. In the configuration of this example, a plurality of gas passages are provided in parallel to connect the gas supply port 16 and the gas discharge port 17. in this way,
By providing a plurality of gas passages 22 in parallel, the flow path length can be reduced and the pressure loss can be reduced as compared with the case where one gas passage 22 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is provided. it can. Therefore, it is suitable for a fuel cell in which a large volume of gas needs to flow.

Referring to FIG. 13, there is shown still another gas passage layout example. In the case of this example, either the supply passage or the discharge passage of the main passage of the gas passage 22 is provided in the center portion inside the active region. In this example, a single gas passage has a rectangular shape from the peripheral portion of the active region so as to connect the gas supply port provided at the peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane and the gas exhaust port provided at the central portion. It follows and refracts, and gradually extends in a spiral shape toward the center. With this configuration, the length of the gas passage can be shortened and the bending can be shortened as compared with the case where both the gas supply port 16 and the gas discharge port 17 are provided in the peripheral region of the polymer electrolyte membrane outside the active region. Therefore, the pressure loss in the flow path can be reduced. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 14, as shown in FIG.
6 or the gas discharge port 17 is provided in the peripheral region of the polymer electrolyte membrane and the other is provided in the central part thereof, the gas supply port 16 and the gas discharge port 17 are further provided by a plurality of parallel gas passages 22. I am trying to contact you. With this configuration, the length of the gas passage can be shortened and the pressure loss can be further reduced, as compared with the case of FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 15, both the gas supply port 16 and the gas discharge port 17 are all provided in the central portion. In this case, the electrode surface 4 can be provided up to the marginal position of the polymer electrolyte membrane 2 to be used as an active region, and the effective reaction area can be increased. In this configuration, even if cells having the same outer size are used, the active area can be made larger than that in the configuration in which the gas supply port 16 and the gas exhaust port 17 for the main passage are provided in the peripheral region. The battery can be made compact. Further, in this case, by providing a plurality of parallel gas passages and connecting the gas supply port 16 and the gas discharge port 17 as shown in FIG. 16, the gas passage length can be reduced, A large amount of gas can be passed. Next, the structure of the gas passage according to still another embodiment will be described. Referring to FIG. 17, there is shown a plan view of the gas separation plate 6 joined to a portion of the power generation element. In the configuration of this example, the gas supply port 23 having an elongated rectangular cross section extending in the horizontal direction is It is provided above the separation plate 6. In the structure of this example, the stacking direction of the cells of the fuel cell is perpendicular to the paper surface, and the vertical direction of FIG. 17 corresponds to the vertical direction of the fuel cell. A gas outlet 24 is provided below the porous plate. A gas chamber groove 25 extending along the surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane of a power generation element (not shown) is provided in the periphery of the gas supply port, and a groove 26 forming a plurality of gas passages is formed downward from the gas chamber groove. Extend in parallel. Each gas passage is separated by a rib 27 provided on the porous plate, that is, a protrusion 27 defining the groove. The rib is a portion that comes into close contact with the electrode surface when the gas separation plate 6 is combined with the power generation element. The ribs 27 extend to the vicinity of the lower gas outlet. The ribs define a plurality of gas passage grooves 28 extending in parallel in the vertical direction. The upper end of the gas passage groove and the gas chamber groove 25 are connected by the thin gas passage groove 26, that is, the reduced portion. The active region of this example extends from the upper end of the gas passage groove 28 to the vicinity of the lower end of the rib 27.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the reduction unit 2
6 shows the cross section of the gas passage groove 28 and the gas passage groove 28 has a large width, the gas passage groove 28 has the same width, and the gas passage groove 28 has the same depth or a deep depth. The groove is designed to be significantly larger. As described above, the portion communicating with the gas passage groove 28 from the upper gas supply port 23 via the gas chamber groove 25 is connected by the reduced portion 26 having a small flow passage. The flow rate of the gas distributed to
It is possible to prevent non-uniform distribution to each gas passage due to clogging at this portion. That is, it is possible to ensure uniform distribution of gas from the main supply passage to the gas passage by increasing the flow velocity at the introduction portion to each gas passage. Further, with the above structure, the reaction product water and the humidified water can be effectively drained. In FIG. 20, FIG.
7 shows a modified example of the groove configuration of the porous plate of No. 7, in which the gas passage grooves 28 are connected by a plurality of reduction portions 26. Also in this example, the same effect as in the case of the structure of FIG. 17 can be obtained, and since the area of the rib 27 can be particularly reduced, the effective reaction area can be increased.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 21, the gas separation plate 6
Since the rib 27 has a columnar shape with a rectangular cross-section, the rib cross-sectional area can be reduced to further secure the effective reaction area.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, by arranging the porous plate of the gas passage between the gas separation member and the electrode surface, the drainage effect of the reaction product water and the humidified entrained water is effectively enhanced. Therefore, the dead spot can be prevented and the output efficiency of the fuel cell can be maintained at a high level. In addition, since the layout of the gas passage is made spiral, the number of bends and the amount of bend in the gas passage can be greatly reduced compared to the conventional structure, and the pressure loss of gas is minimized to keep the pressure as uniform as possible. The reaction between the fuel gas and the oxidant gas can be promoted, and the pump efficiency can be reduced and the output efficiency of the fuel cell can be increased. further,
According to another feature, at the gas introduction portion from the gas supply port to the gas passage in the active region to ensure a gas flow rate as high as possible, so as to ensure the uniformity of distribution to each gas passage, It is possible to enhance the efficiency of removing the reaction product water and the water accompanying the humidification.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a laminated structure when a cell of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention is constructed,

2 is a cross-sectional view of the cell of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cell in a direction orthogonal to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of a porous plate,

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the back surface of the porous plate,

FIG. 6 is a front plan view of another structure of the porous plate,

7 is a plan view of the back surface of the porous plate of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a cell according to another laminated structure,

9 is a cross-sectional view of the cell of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the layout of a gas passage,

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing still another layout of gas passages;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing still another layout of the gas passages,

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing still another layout of the gas passages,

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing still another layout of gas passages;

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing still another layout of the gas passages,

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing still another layout of the gas passages,

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a gas chamber of a porous plate, grooves and ribs that form a reduction unit and a gas passage,

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a reduced portion of a porous plate,

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a gas passage of a porous plate,

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing another configuration of the gas chamber of the porous plate, the reducing portion, and the groove and the rib that configure the gas passage,

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing another configuration of the gas chamber of the porous plate, the reducing portion, and the grooves and ribs forming the gas passage.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cell, 2 Polymer Electrolyte Membrane, 3, 4 Electrode, 5 Power Generation Element, 6, 7 Gas Separation Member, 8 Porous Plate 9, 10 Groove 11 Gas Supply Passage, 12 Gas Supply Passage, 13 Porous Plate, 14 Groove 15 gas passages, 16 and 17 gas supply ports, gas discharge ports, 18 and 19 gas supply ports, gas discharge ports, 20 and 21 cooling water supply ports, cooling water discharge ports, 22 gas passages, 23 and 24 gas supply ports , Gas exhaust port, 25 gas chamber groove, 26 reduced portion, 27 rib, 28 gas passage.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A power generating element in which electrode constituent members are arranged on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and extending from both sides of the power generating element member to support the power generating element member, and a power generating element from each of the electrode constituent member sides. In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell configured by stacking cells each having a pair of gas separation members that define respective reaction gas passages involved, the gas of each cell in a plan view of a polymer electrolyte membrane A polymer electrolyte fuel cell, wherein a passage is formed in a spiral shape, and a gas supply port is formed at one end side of the passage and a gas discharge port is formed at the other end side thereof. 2. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein one gas passage connects the gas supply port and the gas discharge port. 3. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the gas passages connect the gas supply port and the gas discharge port. 4. The plan view of the polymer electrolyte membrane according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply port and the gas discharge port are arranged at a peripheral edge portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and the spiral gas passage is provided with the high pressure gas. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell, characterized in that it is inverted at the center of the molecular electrolyte membrane. 5. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein one of the gas supply port and the gas exhaust port is arranged at a peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane and the other is arranged at a central portion. 6. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the cooling water supply port and the cooling water discharge port are arranged at a central portion or a peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane in a plan view. 7. The gas supply port and the gas discharge port are both arranged in the central portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane in a plan view, and the gas passage is spirally extended from the central portion to the outer peripheral portion. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell, characterized in that it is configured so that it is reversed at the part and returned to the center part. 8. A power generating element in which electrode constituent members are arranged on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and extending from both sides of the power generating element member and supported from both sides, and the power generating element is involved from the side of each of the electrode constituent members. In a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell configured by stacking cells including a pair of gas separation members that define respective reaction gas passages, a plurality of the gas passages are juxtaposed in a plan view of the polymer electrolyte membrane. A gas supply manifold is provided between the main gas passage for distributing and supplying gas to the gas passage of each cell and the gas passage of each cell, and the gas supply manifold and the gas passage of each cell are provided. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell, characterized in that a reduced portion is provided in a portion that communicates with. 9. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 8, wherein the passage walls partitioning the gas passages are discontinuous and the gas passages are in communication with each other. 10. A cell is formed by stacking a cell including a power generating element having electrode constituent members arranged on both sides of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and a pair of gas-tight gas separating members arranged so as to sandwich the power generating element member. In the solid polymer fuel cell described above, a reaction gas supply passage and a gas discharge passage are defined by a porous plate between the cathode electrode of the electrodes and one of the gas separation members, and Polymer fuel cell. 11. The porous plate according to claim 10, wherein a porous plate is arranged between the electrode and the gas separation member, and a gas supply passage to the cathode electrode surface of the cell and a gas from the electrode surface are provided in the porous plate. A solid polymer type fuel cell, characterized in that an exhaust passage is formed. 12. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 11, wherein the gas supply passage is formed on one surface of the porous plate and the gas discharge passage is formed on the other surface. 13. The gas supply passage defined by a wall portion projecting in a zigzag shape on one surface of the porous plate, and a grid is formed on the other surface of the porous plate. A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell, characterized in that an exhaust passage is formed with protrusions scattered in a line.