JPS63136471A - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to supply a gas having almost the same concentration onto the whole surface of an electrolyte by installing small holes in partitions between a gas supply chamber and a gas reaction chamber and between the gas reaction chamber and a gas exhaust chamber. CONSTITUTION:A gas reaction chamber R1 in which the electrode surface side is opened, a gas supply chamber R2 in which the gas supply side is opened, and a gas exhaust chamber R3 in which the gas exhaust side is opened are partitioned with a corrugated plate to form gas passages. The gas reaction chamber R1 and the gas supply chamber R2 are connected with plural small holes H1, and the gas reaction chamber R1 and the gas exhaust chamber R3 with plural small holes H2. The supplied gas flows to the gas reaction chamber R1 through the small holes H1, and after reaction, the gas is exhausted into the gas exhaust chamber R3 through the small holes H2. Therefore, the gas having almost the same concentration is supplied onto the whole surface of an electrolyte.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to improvements in fuel cells.

[Conventional technology]

A conventionally commonly used fuel cell has a pair of electrodes, a fuel electrode 1 and an oxidizer electrode 2, as shown in FIG.
An electrolyte matrix 3 is interposed between these two electrodes, and in order to supply a predetermined gas to the fuel electrode 1 and the oxidizer electrode 2, an electrolyte matrix 3 is provided behind these electrodes, that is, an inverse solution of each electrode. There is a gas flow passage 4 on the matrix side.
．． 5 is normally formed.

The operation is such that fuel gas 6 is supplied to the gas flow passage 4, and oxidizing gas 7 is supplied to the gas flow passage 5, and these react with the electrolyte through the respective electrodes, so that electric power is extracted from each electrode. ing.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Therefore, with this configuration, the supplied gas sufficiently reacts with the supplied gas near the entrance of the gas flow path;
I don't like that it's not done enough near the exit. In other words, in the vicinity of the gas outlet, the reacted gas that has reacted in the vicinity of the inlet of the gas flow passage is supplied in a mixed state with unreacted gas, and the reaction state is different in the vicinity of the gas outlet and in the vicinity of the gas inlet. Put it away. Therefore, the current density varies depending on the position of the electrode surface, and the temperature also tends to vary.

As a result, it has been desired to develop a fuel cell of this type in which gas having approximately the same concentration is supplied to the entire surface of each electrode, that is, the entire surface of the electrolyte, even if gas is supplied from one direction. Ta.

The present invention has been conceived with this in mind, and its object is to provide a fuel cell of this type in which gas having approximately the same concentration is supplied to the entire electrolyte surface.

Regarding this type of fuel cell, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61
-24167 publication is mentioned.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, the gas flow passage formed on the back surface of the electrode is partitioned by a partition wall into a gas reaction chamber that is open on the electrode surface side, a gas supply chamber that is open on the gas supply side, and a gas discharge chamber that is open on the gas discharge side. , and a plurality of small holes arranged at predetermined intervals in the gas supply direction or the gas discharge direction are provided in the partition walls between the gas supply chamber and the gas reaction chamber, and between the gas reaction chamber and the gas discharge chamber, respectively. It was designed to achieve the intended purpose without any problems.

[Effect]

With this configuration, the supplied gas flows into the gas reaction chamber through the plurality of small holes between the gas supply chamber and the gas reaction chamber, that is, the gas is evenly supplied throughout the gas reaction chamber, and the reaction Since the remaining gas is discharged into the gas discharge chamber without flowing through the gas reaction chamber for a long time, it is possible to supply gas having approximately the same concentration to the entire electrolyte surface.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments.

In FIG. 1, a fuel cell is shown in cross section, comprising a pair of electrodes 1, 2, an electrolytic matrix 3, and a cell container 8, 9. An electrolyte matrix 3 is interposed between the pair of electrodes 1 and 2, and between the opposite electrolyte matrix side of the electrodes, that is, between the electrode 1 and the container 8. t4i2□ container, )□. 3-Yo Gao flow 461'0, 11 is formed.

Particularly in this case, the gas flow passages are formed into three types of chambers as follows. In other words, as shown in a partially enlarged view in FIG. 2, there is a gas reaction chamber R1 whose electrode surface side (lower side in the figure) is opened by the corrugated plate 12, and a gas reaction chamber R1 which is opened on the electrode surface side (lower side in the figure) by the corrugated plate 12; It is partitioned into a gas supply chamber R2 which is open on the side where the reaction is carried out, and a gas discharge chamber R3 which is open on the gas discharge side, that is, the side from which the gas after the reaction is discharged.

Furthermore, these chambers communicate under certain conditions. That is, the gas reaction chamber R1 and the gas supply chamber R2 communicate with each other through a plurality of small holes H1, and the gas reaction chamber R1 and gas discharge chamber R3 communicate with each other through a plurality of small holes H2. In this case, it is desirable that the small holes H1 and H2 be arranged at a certain equal interval with respect to the gas supply or gas discharge flow direction.

It goes without saying that the size of the small hole is such that the gas supplied to the gas supply chamber R2 flows into the gas reaction chamber through the small hole almost equally over the entire length of the supply chamber. .

Also, as shown in the figure, among these small holes, the small hole H1 provided in the partition wall between the gas supply chamber R2 and the gas reaction chamber R1 is concentrated and arranged close to the electrode side, so that the gas reaction chamber R1 and If the small holes H2 provided in the partition wall between the gas discharge chambers R3 are arranged closely and concentrated on the opposite electrode side, a desirable shape is obtained from the viewpoint of gas circulation.

Next, the operation of the fuel cell formed in this manner will be described. First, gas supplied from the outside via a manifold (not shown) flows into the gas supply chamber R2. This gas supply chamber R2 has a cylindrical shape, and since the gas does not come into contact with the electrolytic matrix here, no gas reaction occurs. The gas that has flowed into the gas supply chamber R2 then flows into the gas reaction chamber R1 through a small hole H1 provided between the gas supply chamber and the gas reaction chamber R1. In this case, gas flows equally through the plurality of small holes provided at certain intervals. In other words, the gas reaction chamber R extends in one direction.
1, an equal gas supply takes place over its entire length, so that here a uniform gas reaction takes place over the entire surface of the electrolytic matrix. The gas after the reaction is in the gas reaction chamber R.
The gas is discharged to the gas discharge chamber R3 through a small hole H2 provided between the gas discharge chamber R3 and the gas discharge chamber R3. In this case as well, since the small holes H2 are provided at certain intervals as described above, the gas that has flowed into the gas reaction chamber R1 is immediately discharged to the discharge chamber R3 after the reaction, that is, the gas that has reacted in the reaction chamber R1 Since the gas does not pass through the gas reaction chamber in a state mixed with unreacted gas, the gas is supplied to the entire electrolyte surface at approximately the same concentration.

FIG. 3 is a two-dimensional diagram showing the flow of gas, and the flow from gas supply to discharge will become clearer.

In the above explanation, one example has been given and explained for partitioning the gas flow passage into three types of gas chambers, that is, a gas supply chamber, a gas reaction chamber, and a gas discharge chamber. Various other configurations may be considered.

Another embodiment is shown in FIGS. 4 to 8.

It should be noted that the same parts as in FIG. 1 or 2 are given the same reference numerals, so detailed explanations will be omitted. In this embodiment, as is clear from FIG. 5, two corrugated plates 12a and 12b are used.
The cylindrical space formed between both corrugated plates is called gas supply chamber R2, the recessed space formed on the electrode side is called gas reaction chamber R1, and the recessed space formed on the opposite electrode side is called gas discharge chamber. R3
That is to say. Of course, as in the previous embodiment, the gas supply chamber R2
Needless to say, multiple small holes H1 and H2 are provided between the gas reaction chamber R1 and the gas reaction chamber R1, and between the gas reaction chamber R1 and the gas discharge chamber R3, respectively.

When formed in this way, the same effects as those described above are obtained, and furthermore, both sides of the gas reaction chamber R1 become gas supply chambers, and gas is supplied to the gas reaction chamber R1 from both sides, so that a more uniform concentration can be achieved. This is effective because gas can be supplied to the electrolyte section.

In this case, the shape of the corrugated plates may be the same on the top and bottom as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, but due to the size of each chamber, for example, as shown in Fig. 9, the shape of the corrugated plates may be the same. Enlarge the chamber R3 or vice versa, i.e., increase the size of the gas supply chamber R2
It would also be possible to use a corrugated plate with a larger value.

Further, FIG. 10 shows another embodiment.

This embodiment is an example in which a reforming device is built in a battery, and in FIG. 1, R4 indicates a reforming chamber, and 15 indicates a reforming catalyst layer. Particularly in this case, the gas supply chamber R2 and the reforming chamber R4 are separated by a thin plate 16.

It would be effective to provide a plurality of small holes H3 at predetermined equal intervals in this thin plate as well, as this would improve the gas reforming state.

In forming each chamber above, we mainly use corrugated plates, but we can also cut flat plates,
It would also be possible to form it by welding or combining tubes.

Next, referring to FIG. 11, the conventional fuel cell and the fuel cell of the present invention will be compared in terms of their effects.

This figure shows the relationship between the electrode position in the gas flow direction and the electrical output, and is an experiment conducted by combining multiple batteries in the gas flow direction.

The curve X1 consisting of a chain line in this figure is the one that has been generally adopted in the past, that is, experimentally, gas is supplied to and discharged from a plurality of electrodes arranged in parallel along the direction in which they are arranged. . As is clear from this figure, the electrical output is larger and more effective immediately after the gas flow, but it decreases significantly as it approaches the gas discharge side.

The average output in this case is shown by the dotted line X2.

On the other hand, the one shown by the solid line Y in the figure is the one of the present invention. According to this, it can be seen that the average value is improved compared to the conventional one.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the gas flow passage provided at the back of the electrode is divided into a gas supply chamber with an open side on the electrode surface side, a gas supply chamber with an open side on the gas supply side, and a gas supply chamber with an open side on the gas discharge side. Since the gas supply chamber and the gas reaction chamber and the gas reaction chamber and the gas discharge chamber are communicated with each other through a plurality of small holes, the supplied gas is separated from the gas supply chamber. The gas flows into the gas reaction chamber through multiple small holes between the gas reaction chamber and the gas reaction chamber, that is, an equal gas supply is performed throughout the gas reaction chamber, and the gas after the reaction circulates within the gas reaction chamber for a long time. Since the gas is discharged into the gas discharge chamber without any oxidation, gas having approximately the same concentration can be supplied to the entire electrolyte surface.

4. r'il movement. Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing one embodiment of the fuel cell of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an enlarged view of the gas flow passage, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the flow of gas in the gas flow passage, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing another embodiment of the present invention. Side view,
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view showing an enlarged view of the gas flow passage;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 5, FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views of the corrugated plate forming the gas flow passage, and FIGS. FIG. 11 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between electrical output and gas flow in the electrode section, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a conventional fuel cell. be.

1.2...fl! Pole, 3... Electrolytic matrix, 8
, 9... Container, 12 , 12 a , 12 b ・
- Corrugated plate, R1-... Gas reaction chamber, R2... Gas supply chamber, R3... Gas discharge chamber, Hl, R2... Small hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device comprising a pair of electrodes, an electrolyte matrix interposed between the electrodes, and gas flow passages formed on the opposite surface of the electrodes, and connecting the gas flow passages to the electrodes. A fuel cell configured to extract electric power from between the electrodes by flowing a predetermined gas, the gas reaction chamber having the gas flow path open on the electrode surface side and extending in the gas supply direction; and the gas reaction chamber. A partition wall partitions the gas supply chamber, which is arranged adjacent to the gas reaction chamber and extends in the same direction as the gas reaction chamber, and has an open gas supply side, and the gas discharge chamber, which is arranged adjacent to the gas reaction chamber and has an open gas discharge side. , and a plurality of small holes arranged at predetermined intervals in the gas supply direction or the gas discharge direction, respectively, in the partition wall between the gas supply chamber and the gas reaction chamber, and between the gas reaction chamber and the gas discharge chamber. A fuel cell characterized in that: 2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is formed in a corrugated shape with waves extending in a direction perpendicular to the gas supply direction. 3. The small holes provided in the partition wall between the gas supply chamber and the gas reaction chamber are concentrated close to the electrode side, and the small holes provided in the partition wall between the gas reaction chamber and the gas discharge chamber are placed oppositely. The fuel cell described in Patent No. 1, characterized in that the fuel cell is arranged closely and concentrated on the electrode side. 4. A pair of electrodes, an electrolyte matrix interposed between the electrodes, and gas flow passages formed on the side opposite to the matrix of the electrodes, and a predetermined gas is caused to flow through the gas flow passages. In a fuel cell configured to extract electric power from between the electrodes, the gas flow passage includes a gas reaction chamber that is open on the electrode surface side and is disposed adjacent to the electrode, and a gas reaction chamber that is disposed adjacent to the gas reaction chamber, and A partition wall is provided between a closed reforming chamber containing a reforming catalyst therein, a gas supply chamber that is located adjacent to the reforming chamber and has an open gas supply side, and a gas discharge chamber that has an open gas discharge side. and partition walls between the gas supply chamber and the reforming chamber, the reforming chamber, the gas reaction chamber, and the gas reaction chamber and the gas discharge chamber, each having a predetermined interval in the gas supply direction or gas discharge direction. 1. A fuel cell characterized by having a plurality of small holes arranged in a plurality of holes.