JPS58119170A - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable correction easily from the outside by detecting and processing the variation of the fastening pressure produced through the repetition of operation/stopage by means of a distorsion detector and an arithmetic unit without opening the cover of a pressure container. CONSTITUTION:A fixed table 6 for fixing an upper fastening bar to a pressure container through a fastening rod 5 and a lower fastening board 7 for pushing a fuel cell lamination from the lower section are provided. Said board 7 is connected to a pressure transmitting rod 8 for pushing up from the outside of the pressure container then connected to an actuator 10 for converting a pressure fluid (oil pressure, water pressure, air pressure) fed from a pressure fluid feeder 9 into mechanical energy. Distorsion detectors 11, 11 are provided to a fastening rod 5 and the fuel cell lamination 1. Furthermore an arithmetic unit 12 for processing the output signal from said detectors 11, 11 are provided and when controlling the operation of said feeder 9 by the output signal from said unit 12 the fastening pressure can be regulated easily.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to fuel cells such as alkaline electrolyte fuel cells, acidic electrolyte fuel cells, and molten carbonate fuel cells.

Technical background of the invention and its problems Tightening and pressure control of fuel cell stacks are important factors that directly affect cell performance. That is, as the tightening pressure increases, the contact internal resistance inside the battery decreases. However, if the tightening pressure is too high, the electrolyte will seep out to the gas side of the electrode.

On the other hand, if the tightening is insufficient, there will be a problem of gas leakage. Conventionally, this point has not been taken into consideration, and as shown in FIG.
Therefore, the rod 5 is used to tighten the scissors.

This tightening work is done manually. As a result, it is unavoidable that variations occur in the tightening, and that the degree of tightening deviates from the optimum value. Another problem is that, as shown in Figure 1, the fuel cell itself is housed in a pressure vessel during operation, and as the operation is stopped many times (heating, cooling, pressurization, tightening), the screws become loose. It is something that happens. This also causes an increase in internal resistance, leakage, etc. as described above, and there is a possibility that continuous operation will not be possible. The modification of i97 will involve opening the pressure vessel flap, which will be a major undertaking. Therefore, there is a need for a method for easily correcting changes in pressure from the outside without opening the lid of the pressure vessel, such as tightening caused by loosening of screws K caused by repeated operation and stopping.

Purpose and Summary of the Invention The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks.The support base 4 in the first m1 IC is tightened via the rod 5, and the upper part is tightened using the fixing base for fixing the bar and the fuel. The lower clamp, which supports the battery stack from the bottom, is divided into a plate and the latter is supported by a pressure transmission rod that connects it to the outside.Through this pressure transmission rod, the lower clamp is connected to a pressure fluid (hydraulic, water pressure) that applies pressure to the plate. , pneumatic pressure) supply device is connected, and the tightening is performed after processing the signal from the strain detector attached to the rod and/or the fuel cell stack with an arithmetic processor.
The fuel cell is configured to provide a drive signal for the pressure fluid supply device.

Embodiment of the Invention An embodiment of the fuel cell according to the present invention is shown in FIG. In the present invention, the support base 4 in FIG. 1 is tightened as shown in FIG. The lower part of the plate 7 is used for pushing upward and tightening the fuel cell stack 1. And the lower tightening is -1 for plate 7
It is connected to a pressure transmission rod 8 for pushing it up from the outside of the pressure regulator 3, and this pressure transmission rod 8 is supplied from a pressure fluid supply device 91/(as a pressure supply source). , air pressure) into mechanical energy.

Further, strain detectors 11 and 11 are attached to the tightening rod 5 and the fuel cell stack 1, respectively. Note that the strain detector 11 may be attached to either the tightening rod 5 or the fuel cell stack 1, and furthermore, an arithmetic processor VL2' for processing the output signals of the K strain detectors 11, 11 is provided. The operation of the pressure fluid supply device 9 is controlled by the output No. 1 of the arithmetic processor 12.

Next, the procedure for assembling one fuel cell will be explained.

First, the pressure vessel 3 is removed, and the lower clamping plate 7 is placed so that it is in contact with the top of the fixing table 6. The lower part is tightened by stacking a plurality of fuel cells on the plate 7, and the upper part is tightened by passing a bar thereon, and the fixing table 6 and the tightening are done by the rad 5.) Lightly and evenly tightened. Next, pressure is gradually applied to the pressure fluid supply device 9, and the strain is applied! ! 11. The signal from 11 is processed by the calculator 12, and tightening is performed until the value reaches the optimum pressure. This optimum tightening can be determined by tightening the pressure and sometimes by reading a signal from a strain detector attached to the rod and/or the fuel cell stack.

In addition to the effects of the invention, it is clear that loosening of tightening and pressure caused by repeated operation and tightening can be easily done by adjusting the pressure of the pressure fluid supplied from the pressure fluid supply device 9 to v4. can.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 shows the vertical F! of conventionally used nine fuel cells. R-side view,
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment according to the present invention. 1...Fuel 'sake pond storage body, 2...Tightening the upper part with a rod,
3...Pressure vessel, 7...Lower tightening rod, 8...Pressure transmission rod, 10...Actuator, 1
1... Strain detector, 12... Arithmetic processor. Agent Patent Attorney Noriyuki Chika (and 1 other person) Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] A fuel cell stack consisting of several stacked fuel cells formed by a fuel electrode and an oxidizer electrode separated by an electrolyte is directly connected to the bottom or inner wall of a pressure vessel housing the fuel cell stack. The upper clamp, which plays the role of an upper stopper when tightening the fuel cell stack, is directly connected to a pressure transmission rod that passes through the rod and the bottom of the pressure vessel and transmits external pressure, and is connected directly to the pressure transmission rod that transmits external pressure to the bottom of the fuel cell stack. The lower part of the clamp that tightens the plate, a pressure fluid supply device that supplies pressure fluid to the pressure transmission rod, an actuator that converts the pressure fluid energy supplied from the pressure fluid supply device into mechanical energy to the pressure transmission rod, and the fuel. A strain detector attached to the battery stack and/or the tightening rod, and a defecation processor that processes signals from the strain detector to control the operation of the pressure fluid supply needle If). A fuel cell consisting of: