KR20090110608A - A fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A fuel battery is provided to constitute not to form separate part for combining a combining device at end plate and contain more fuel battery within limited space. CONSTITUTION: A fuel battery comprises one or more film electrode assembly (200), electrode plate (300), end plate (100), insulating plate (400) and combining device. The one or more film electrode assembly generates voltage by reacting fuel and air. The electrode plate guides flow of voltage generated from the flim electrode assembly. The end plate protects the film electrode assembly. The insulating plate blocks the flow of voltage to the end plate.

Description

Fuel cell {A fuel cell}

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal coupling structure of a fuel cell according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the front appearance of a direct methanol fuel cell employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the rear appearance configuration of a direct methanol fuel cell employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of a direct methanol fuel cell employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an exploded perspective view showing a coupling means of one configuration of a fuel cell according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line II ′ of FIG. 5; FIG.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line II-II 'of FIG. 3; FIG.

8A is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' of FIG. 7.

8B is an enlarged view of a 'B' portion of FIG. 7.

9 is a schematic view showing an internal configuration of an end plate which is one configuration of a fuel cell according to the present invention.

10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the construction of another embodiment of a fuel cell according to the present invention;

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100. End plate 110. Fuel passage

120. depression 124. air inlet connector

125. Air outlet connector 126. Fuel inlet connector

127. Fuel outlet connector 130. Reinforcement

150. Base material 200. Membrane electrode assembly

300. Electrode plate 400. Insulation plate

500. Coupling means 520. Fuel entry / exit port

522. Flow pipes 523. Through-holes

524. Coupling section 525. First O-ring groove

526. Fasteners 528. Female thread

540. Insulation port 542. Second O-ring groove

550. Through thread 560. Blocking tube

562. Crimp 580. Nut

582. Spring Washers 584. Insulation Washers

586. Sealing washer 587. Pressure generating groove

610. Impregnation mold 620. Melt mold

630.Guide 640. Heater

 R. O-ring

The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly, the present invention provides a fuel by coupling means for coupling a plurality of components constituting the fuel cell in a stacked state, and the end plate has a coupling force of a locally generated coupling means. It relates to a fuel cell configured to evenly deliver components stacked inside.

A fuel cell is a system that generates electricity through the reaction of fuel (LNG, LPG, hydrogen, methanol, etc.) and oxygen, and generates water and heat as a by-product.

In addition, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), etc., depending on the type of electrolyte used. There is this.

Among these types of fuel cells, PEMFC, PAFC, and DMFC have low operating temperatures of 80 ℃ -120 ℃, 190 ℃ -200 ℃, and 25 ℃ -90 ℃, respectively. It is likely to be utilized.

Therefore, in order to accelerate and expand the commercialization of these fuel cells, research interests are focused on miniaturization, light weight, and low cost of the entire fuel cell system.

Hereinafter, a conventional fuel cell configuration will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal coupling structure of a fuel cell according to the prior art.

As shown in the figure, the fuel cell 1 is provided with a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA: Membrane Electrode Assembly) (MEA) therein, the membrane electrode assembly (10) in the upright state in the left / right direction Are stacked and placed.

In the membrane electrode assembly 10, the anode electrode 14 and the cathode electrode 16 are disposed at both sides with the membrane 12 as the center. That is, the membrane electrode assembly 10 includes a membrane 12, an anode electrode 14, and a cathode electrode 16.

A flow path 18 is formed in the anode electrode 14 and the cathode electrode 16 so that hydrogen, methanol and the like, which are fuels of the fuel cell 1, can flow, and the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 10 are stacked on each other. These flow paths 18 are in communication with each other.

End plates 20 are provided on left and right sides of the fuel cell 1. The end plate 20 serves to form an appearance of the fuel cell 1 and to provide a bonding force so that the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 10 are not separated.

To this end, the end plate 20 is formed to have an area larger than that of the membrane electrode assembly 10, and the upper and lower ends of the end plate 20 are positioned up and down than the upper and lower ends of the membrane electrode assembly 10. It protrudes.

In addition, a fastening hole 22 is formed through the upper and lower portions of the end plate 20. The fastening bolts 24 pass through the fastening holes 22 and are tightened with nuts 26. The fastening force of the fastening bolts 24 and the nuts 26 is the end plate 20 and the membrane electrode assembly 10. The plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 10 are maintained as shown in FIG. 1 without being separated from each other.

However, the fuel cell 1 having the above configuration has the following problems.

That is, the fuel cell 1 is formed such that the end plate 20 has a larger area than the membrane electrode assembly 10, so that the size of the fuel cell 1 is determined by the size of the end plate 20.

Therefore, the size of the fuel cell 1 is unnecessarily large, and thus, it is impossible to accommodate many fuel cells 1 in a limited space, thereby causing a problem in that the output of the fuel cell 1 is lowered.

In addition, since a plurality of fastening bolts 24 (four in the related art shown in FIG. 1) should be provided in one fuel cell 1, there is a problem in that assembly time is increased and productivity is lowered.

In addition, since the material cost is increased due to the increase in the size of the end plate 20, the price competitiveness is lowered.

In addition, since the fastening bolt 24 and the nut 26 generate an inward fastening force at the top / bottom side of the end plate 20, it is difficult to visually check, but the height center of the end plate 20 is actually the fuel cell 1. It has a shape that protrudes convexly outward. Therefore, the clamping force of the membrane electrode assembly 10 is lowered, so that fuel and air inside the fuel cell 1 leak.

An object of the present invention for solving the problems as described above, the fuel cell is provided with a coupling means that is coupled to pass through a plurality of components constituting the fuel cell to generate a bonding force, and at the same time serves as a fuel supply role Is to provide.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell with an end plate configured such that the joining means is locally evenly coupled to a plurality of components.

A fuel cell according to the present invention for achieving the above object comprises: at least one membrane electrode assembly for generating a voltage by reacting fuel and air; An electrode plate for guiding the flow of voltage generated in the membrane electrode assembly; An end plate which protects the membrane electrode assembly and forms an appearance; An insulating plate which blocks the flow of voltage to the end plate; And a coupling means for generating a bonding force to the membrane electrode assembly or the insulating plate and guiding fuel flow. On one side of the end plate, a local bonding force generated by the coupling means is the membrane electrode assembly, the electrode plate, and the insulating plate. Characterized in that it is provided with a reinforcing material to be dispersed in.

The end plate, the appearance is formed by the base material, the base material is characterized in that the reinforcing material is impregnated.

The reinforcing material is characterized in that formed by weaving a metal continuous fiber containing any one or more of tungsten (W) -based, iron (Fe) -based, nickel (Ni) -based, copper (Cu) -based alloy.

The reinforcing material is characterized in that formed of a plate having an elastic force.

The reinforcing material is characterized in that the insert injection molding inside the end plate.

The reinforcing material is characterized in that one side is formed convex.

The reinforcing material is characterized in that the thickness becomes thicker toward the center.

On one side of the reinforcing material, it is characterized in that the guide hole through which the coupling means penetrates.

The guide hole has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the engaging means.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that the volume of the fuel cell is reduced, durability is improved, and leakage of fuel and air is prevented.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described the configuration of a fuel cell according to the present invention by taking a direct fuel type fuel cell as an example.

2 is a perspective view showing a front appearance configuration of a direct methanol fuel cell employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a rear appearance configuration of a direct methanol fuel cell employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of a direct methanol fuel cell employing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in these figures, a direct methanol fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as a “fuel cell”) has a long rectangular parallelepiped shape in the left / right direction as a whole, and an end plate 100 is provided at the front / rear and the front / rear appearance. To form.

In addition, between the pair of end plates 100, at least one membrane electrode assembly 200 (MEA) generating a voltage by reacting methanol and air as fuel, and outside the front and rear sides of the membrane electrode assembly 200. An electrode plate 300 for guiding the flow of voltage generated in the membrane electrode assembly 200 and an insulating plate for blocking electric flow between the electrode plate 300 and the end plate 100 (400 of FIG. 4). ) Is provided with a large number.

As shown in FIG. 4, four holes are formed in the corners of the end plate 100 positioned below the pair of end plates 100. That is, the four holes are configured to guide the ingress / intake of fuel or air into the fuel cell.

More specifically, the lower left and the upper right of the end plate 100 located in front of FIG. 3 includes an air inlet connector 124 and an air outlet connector for guiding air to flow in and out of the fuel cell. 125 are each perforated.

The air outlet / inlet port 124 and 125 penetrate the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, and the insulating plate 400 to form an air flow path (not shown) for guiding the flow of air.

3, the fuel inlet connector 126 and the fuel outlet connector 127 for guiding the outflow / intake of the fuel into the fuel cell are drilled at the front left upper and lower right sides, respectively. The fuel inlet port 126 and the fuel outlet connector 127 are connected to a fuel inlet and outlet port 520, which will be described in detail below.

The end plate 100, the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, and the insulating plate 400 have an area size corresponding to each other and are fastened by the coupling means 500.

As shown in FIG. 3, the coupling means 500 penetrates the upper left and lower right portions of the fuel cell in a forward / rear direction and pressurizes the inner plate 100, the membrane electrode assembly 200. The electrode plate 300 and the insulating plate 400 may maintain a rectangular parallelepiped shape without being separated from each other.

That is, the coupling means 500 is inserted into the fuel inlet connector 126 and the fuel outlet connector 127 described above, and then penetrates the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, and the insulating plate 400. By restraining the pair of end plates 100 serves to prevent the separation of the fuel cell.

To this end, the recessed portion 120 recessed to prevent the tip of the coupling means 500 from protruding forward of the end plate 100 is disposed on the lower left and upper right sides of the end plate 100 (as shown in FIG. 2). It is provided.

Since the membrane electrode assembly 200, the insulating plate 400, and the electrode plate 300 are substantially the same in comparison with the related art, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the coupling means 500 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a coupling means of one configuration of a fuel cell according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the section II ′ of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 II-II of FIG. 3. Partial longitudinal cross-sectional view is shown.

As shown in these figures, the coupling means 500 is inserted into the fuel withdrawal / inlet port 126 and 127 as described above and coupled to generate a fastening force at both ends thereof so that the end plate 100 and the electrode plate 300 are formed. , Serves to keep the insulating plate 400 in close contact with each other.

In addition, the coupling means 500 also performs a role of preventing the fuel flowing along the fuel passage (reference numeral 110 of FIG. 7) from leaking outside the fuel passage 110.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 5, the coupling means 500 is a fuel entry port 520 for guiding the entry / exit of fuel and the flow of electricity between the fuel entry port 520 and the electrode plate 300. Penetration in which one end is screwed into the fuel entry and exit port 520 through the insulating hole 540 to block the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, the end plate 100, and the insulating plate 400. A screw 550, a blocking tube 560 for blocking contact between the through screw 550 and fuel, the membrane electrode assembly 200, an electrode plate 300, an end plate 100, and an insulating plate 400. It is configured to include a nut 580 for generating a pressure to be in close contact with each other.

A fuel entry port 520 is provided at the left end of the coupling means 500. The fuel entry / exit port 520 guides the entry / exit of the fuel. As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel entry / exit port 520 protrudes forward from the upper left upper side and the lower right side of the end plate 100. An additional fuel pipe (not shown) and a pump (not shown) for circulating fuel are connected in communication with each other.

The fuel inlet / outlet port 520 is a circular tube-shaped flow tube 522 formed at the left side, and protrudes in a ring shape in an outer circumferential direction from an outer circumferential surface end of the flow tube 522 to be fitted with the insulator 540. It comprises a coupling portion 524 and a coupling portion 526 protruding in the right direction from the right end of the coupling portion 524 and the through-screw 550 is fastened.

The flow pipe 522, the coupling portion 524 and the fastening portion 526 is preferably formed to be integrated into a sus (SUS) having a high corrosion resistance (耐蝕).

The coupling part 524 is seated in the stepped portion inside the fuel withdrawal / inlet connector 126 and 127 while being inserted into the fuel withdrawal / inlet connector 126 and 127 to protrude outwardly of the end plate 100 as shown in FIG. 7. Are not combined.

Therefore, only the flow pipe 522 is exposed to the outside of the end plate 100.

In addition, a plurality of through holes 523 are formed in the coupling part 524 to allow fuel introduced into the flow tube 522 to pass through the coupling part 524.

The through hole 523 is formed radially with respect to the center of the fuel entry / exit port 520, and the extension lines of the plurality of through holes 523 cross each other.

In more detail, the through hole 523 is drilled inclined so as to converge toward the center of the fuel entry / exit port 520 toward the left side from the right side of the coupling part 524.

Therefore, the fuel flowing into the flow pipe 522 and passing through the coupling part 524 may be introduced into the fuel flow path 110 while spreading outward through the through hole 523.

The fastening part 526 is screwed with the left end of the through screw 550, and has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the internal thread 528 corresponding to the pitch of the through screw 550 is processed therein. Therefore, when the screw is coupled to the left end of the through screw 550, the through screw 550 is not separated from the fuel entry and exit port 520.

The first O-ring groove 525 is provided on the outside of the through hole 523. The first O-ring groove 525 is formed to be recessed so that the O-ring (R) is inserted therein and has a size corresponding to that of the O-ring (R) inserted therein and is formed to be shallower than the thickness of the O-ring (R).

An insulator 540 is provided on the right side of the fuel entry / exit port 520. The insulator 540 is inserted into one side of the end plate 100 in a state in which the fuel entry / exit port 520 is accommodated therein to block electric flow between the fuel entry / exit port 520 and the electrode plate 300. To play a role, it is molded from an insulating material.

The insulator 540 has a hollow cylindrical shape, the hollow inside is formed stepped. The stepped inner diameter is formed to correspond to the outer diameter of the coupling part 524.

Therefore, when the fuel entry port 520 and the insulator 540 are close to each other, the fastening part 526 penetrates through the insulator 540 to the right, and the coupling part 524 is stepped. The O-ring R inserted into the research 540 and inserted into the first O-ring groove 525 is brought into contact with the stepped surface of the insulator 540 to the right through the through hole 523. The discharged fuel is prevented from leaking to the left along the gap between the fuel entry port 520 and the insulator 540.

The second O-ring groove 542 is recessed in the right side edge portion of the insulator 540. The second O-ring groove 542 is inserted into the O-ring (R) (o-ring shown on the right side of the insulator 540) therein, has a shape corresponding to the O-ring (R), the thickness of the O-ring (R) It is formed more shallowly.

Therefore, when the O-ring R is inserted into the second O-ring groove 542, the right side surface of the O-ring R maintains the state protruding to the right from the second O-ring groove 542.

The through screw 550 passes through the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, the end plate 100, and the insulating plate 400 at the same time. As described above, the left end of the through screw 550 is the female screw. 528 and the right end are engaged with the nut 580.

Therefore, the through screw 550 is provided in the same manner as the thread formed on the outer surface of the solid rod filled inside.

In addition, an O-ring (R) is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the right end of the through screw (550). The O-ring (R) is configured to prevent fuel from flowing into the fastening part 526 when the left end of the through screw 550 is screwed with the female screw 528.

A blocking tube 560 is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the through screw 550. The blocking tube 560 has a cylindrical shape having a slightly shorter length than the through screw 550, the inside is penetrated to have an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the through screw 550.

Therefore, the through screw 550 can penetrate inside the blocking tube 560.

The left end of the blocking tube 560 is provided with a crimping portion 562 protruding to have an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the blocking tube 560. The pressing part 562 is configured to compress the O-ring (R) surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the left end of the through screw 550 in the left direction to prevent the leakage of fuel.

That is, when the left end of the through screw 550 is fastened to the female screw 528 and the right end is fastened to the nut 580 to generate a compressive force in the blocking pipe 560, the O-ring R is a crimping part. 562 and the inner right surface of the fastening part 526 may be compressed.

The outer circumferential surface of the blocking tube 560 is provided with a number of washers. In other words, the spring washer 582 and the current generated in the electrode plate 300 and the spring washer 582 generating an elastic restoring force when the nut 580 and the through screw 550 is fastened to each other so that the nut 580 is not transmitted to the nut 580. An insulating washer 584 for blocking and a sealing washer 586 for blocking the fuel in the fuel passage 110 from leaking in the longitudinal direction of the blocking tube 560 are provided.

The spring washer 582, the insulating washer 584, and the sealing washer 586 are sequentially inserted from the right end of the through screw 550 to the left side, and the outer diameter is formed to correspond to each other. In addition, an O-ring R is further provided on the left side of the sealing washer 586. The O-ring R serves to prevent a gap between the sealing washer 586 and the blocking tube 560 so that the fuel inside the fuel passage 110 does not leak in the right direction of the through screw 550.

Therefore, the coupling means 500 is provided with all four O-rings (R), and when the shape is changed by applying the embodiment of the present invention as described above may be provided with five or more (R) Of course.

In addition, one surface (left side in FIG. 8B) of the sealing washer 586 is recessed and an O-ring R is inserted into the O-ring R when the nut 580 and the through screw 550 are fastened. A pressure generating groove 587 is formed to generate pressure in the center direction.

Therefore, when the pressure generating groove 587 flows to the left side in the same state as in FIG. 7 to generate pressure, the O-ring R is retracted toward the center of the through screw 550 and thus, The outer circumferential surface and the left side of the sealing washer 586 are in contact simultaneously.

On the other hand, the coupling means 500 is configured as described above is provided one each on the left / right side of the fuel cell. And, when the coupling means 500 generates a coupling force by the fastening of the nut 580, this coupling force is locally generated in the vicinity of the coupling means 500.

That is, the coupling force is concentrated only in the local place where the coupling means 500 is located in the end plate 100. As a result, the end plate 100 has a central portion of the end plate 100 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. It protrudes convexly outward.

Therefore, the coupling force generated by the coupling means 500 may not be evenly transmitted to the front surface of the end plate 100 so that the central portions of the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, and the insulating plate 400 may be spaced apart from each other. The separation of each of these components causes fuel and air leakage inside the fuel cell.

To this end, in the present invention, the reinforcing material (reference numeral 130 of FIG. 7) is provided inside the end plate 100. The reinforcing material 130 is to ensure that the local coupling force generated by the coupling means 500 is evenly distributed on the front surface of the end plate 100 to the central portion of the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300 and the insulating plate 400 This is to prevent separation.

Hereinafter, a configuration of the end plate 100 for uniformly dispersing the coupling force of the coupling means 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8B.

An enlarged view of portion 'A' of FIG. 7 is illustrated in FIG. 8A, and an enlarged view of portion 'B' of FIG. 7 is illustrated in FIG. 8B.

First, the end plate 100 forms an appearance of a rectangular parallelepiped shape by the base material 150, and the reinforcement material 130 described above is provided inside the base material 150.

The reinforcing member 130 is made of a plate having an elastic force, and is configured to generate an elastic restoring force in the width direction of the end plate 100.

To this end, the reinforcing material 130 is configured to be convex in the inner direction of the fuel cell as shown in Figure 7, it is formed so as to become thicker toward the center when viewed in the up / down direction.

Therefore, when the coupling means 500 generates a coupling force and the nut 580 and the fuel entry / exit port 520 are close to each other, the central portion of the reinforcement 130 is pressed toward the outside of the fuel cell to act similar to the leaf spring. As a result, the elastic restoring force in the inner direction is generated.

In addition, since the thickness of the reinforcing member 130 is thicker than the top / bottom side, the elastic restoring force is most strongly generated at the center of the reinforcing member 130.

Therefore, even if the coupling means 500 are located above and below the reinforcement material 130 to generate a bonding force, the coupling force generated by the coupling means 500 is dispersed by the reinforcement material 130 and is evenly distributed into the fuel cell. Can be delivered.

The reinforcement member 130 is preferably formed by insert injection molding in the state of being inserted into the injection mold for molding the base member 150 and integrally formed with the base member 150.

The reinforcing material 130 is provided with a guide hole (see reference numeral 132 of FIGS. 8A and 8B) formed so as to penetrate the coupling means 500. The guide hole 132 is drilled in advance before the reinforcement 130 is inserted into the injection mold.

More specifically, the guide hole 132 having an inner diameter slightly larger than that of the fuel passage 110 is formed in the reinforcement 130 inside the end plate 100 where the fuel entry and exit port is located as shown in FIG. 8A. The reinforcing material 130 inside the end plate 100 where the 580 is located is formed with a guide hole 132 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the blocking tube 560.

In addition, the inside of the guide hole 132 is filled with the same material as the base material 150 when the reinforcing material 130 is inserted and the base material 150 is injection molded, the fastening means for fastening the coupling means 500 The inside of the guide hole 132 is drilled through a separate drilling process.

During the drilling process, the guide hole 132 is preferably not exposed to the inside of the hole formed during the drilling process.

On the other hand, the end plate 100 can be changed in various ways the coupling structure of the reinforcing material 130 and the base material 150. For example, the end plate 100 may be applied as a composite material.

That is, the reinforcing material 130 is formed by weaving a metal continuous fiber containing any one or more of tungsten (W) -based, iron (Fe) -based, nickel (Ni) -based, copper (Cu) -based alloy, The base member 150 may be configured to be impregnated in the reinforcing material 130 to be coupled to each other.

Hereinafter, a configuration of another embodiment of the end plate 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

9 is a schematic view showing an internal configuration of an end plate, which is one configuration of a fuel cell according to the present invention.

Prior to the description of the configuration of the end plate 100, a brief look at the composite material and the device configuration for manufacturing the same.

Composite material is a mixture of two or more components that are chemically distinct from each other and are retained in their respective properties while the unique mechanical, physical and chemical properties of each component are complementary to each other. It refers to a material that is artificially constructed to get better properties than it would have if individual components were separated.

In addition, referring to FIG. 9, in order to form the end plate 100, an impregnating mold 610 into which the reinforcing material 130 having a guide hole 132 is inserted and the base material 150 are melted and pressed. For the melt mold 620 is required.

The impregnating mold 610 and the molten mold 620 are formed in a predetermined size space, each space is communicated with each other by the guide tube 630.

That is, the metal that will form the base member 150 is loaded in the impregnating mold 610, the reinforcing material 130 is loaded in the molten mold 620, and the space inside the molten mold 620 is endless. Corresponds to the size, shape and thickness of the plate 100.

The metal charged in the molten mold 620 is heated and melted by a heater 640 installed outside the molten mold 620, and the space inside the molten mold 620 is selectively selected by a pressure applied from an upper side. It is configured to be small.

Therefore, the molten metal in the molten mold 620 is impregnated in the reinforcing material 130 by moving to the right along the guide tube 630 by the pressure applied from the upper side, the internal space of the impregnation mold 610 It is possible to form the end plate 100 to fill.

Of course, the internal space of the impregnation mold 610 is preferably configured to be selectively opened after the end plate 100 is completed.

In addition, it is preferable that a separate heater 640 is further provided outside the guide tube 630 so that the molten metal is not cooled and hardened when moving along the guide tube 630.

Hereinafter, a process of coupling the fuel cell configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8B.

First, in order to combine the fuel cells, a plurality of parts as shown in FIG. 4 must be provided, and the number of membrane electrode assemblies 200 may be stacked in plurality by adjusting the number according to the output required for the fuel cell.

Thereafter, the plurality of components prepared as shown in FIG. 4 are stacked to have surface contact with each other. In this case, the end plate 100, the insulating plate 400, the electrode plate 300, and the membrane electrode assembly 200 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the center portion of the upper / lower left / right surface is slightly recessed in the downward direction as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Have

In the fuel cell, holes formed in the left and right surfaces of the end plate 100, the insulating plate 400, the electrode plate 300, and the membrane electrode assembly 200 communicate with each other by being located at corresponding positions, thereby providing a fuel flow path (FIG. Reference numeral 110 in FIG. 7 and an air flow path (not shown) are respectively formed.

In addition, the end plate 100 is disposed such that the reinforcement 130 provided therein is convex in the inner direction of the fuel cell as shown in FIG. 7.

At this time, the O-ring (R) is inserted into the first O-ring groove 525 and then the fuel entry port 520 and the insulator 540 are fitted. In addition, the O-ring (R) is also inserted into the second O-ring groove 542, and then the fuel entry / exit port 520 and the insulator 540 are inserted rearward from the front side of the fuel cell (see FIG. 3). .

Thereafter, the through screw 550, the blocking tube 560, and a plurality of washers are assembled in the state as shown in FIG. 5, and then inserted into the fuel flow path 110 from the rear side to the front side as seen in FIG.

As a result, the male thread formed on the outer surface of the left side (see FIG. 8A) of the through screw 550 is engaged with the female screw 528 to generate a compressive force, so that the O-ring R inserted into the first O-ring groove 525 Compression with the inner right side of the fastening part 526 is blocked.

At the same time, the first O-ring groove 525 and the second O-ring groove 542 are in close contact with the insulator 540 and the end plate 100 to block the leakage of fuel.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8B, as the right part of the through screw 550 is fastened to the inside of the nut 580, the sealing washer 586 pushes the O-ring R to the left, and the O-ring R is recessed. By simultaneously contacting the left side of the 120 and the outer circumferential surface of the blocking tube 560, the fuel inside the fuel passage 110 is not leaked to the right side in the longitudinal direction of the through screw 550.

The state of the fuel cell assembled through the above process can be confirmed in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the coupling force generated locally by the coupling means 500 is dispersed by the reinforcing material 130 and is evenly distributed in the fuel cell inner direction. Delivered.

Accordingly, the membrane electrode assembly 200, the electrode plate 300, and the insulating plate 400 remain in a state where the center portions are not spaced apart from each other, thereby preventing fuel and air leakage.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-exemplified embodiments, and many other modifications based on the present invention will be possible to those skilled in the art within the above technical scope.

For example, Figure 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a configuration of another embodiment of a fuel cell according to the present invention, the direction of the reinforcing material 130 provided inside the end plate 100 in accordance with the position of the coupling force generated by the coupling means 500 Of course, it can be applied differently.

As described in detail above, in the fuel cell according to the present invention, the fuel cell according to the present invention is configured not to form a separate portion for fastening the coupling means to the end plate, thereby allowing more fuel cells to be accommodated in the limited space.

Therefore, since a large output can be obtained in the same space, there is an advantage in that the space efficiency of the direct methanol fuel cell is maximized.

In addition, since the size of the material used to manufacture the end plate is reduced, there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In addition, there is an advantage that the assembly time is improved and the time required for assembly is significantly reduced, thereby increasing productivity and price competitiveness.

And, in the present invention, the reinforcing material is provided inside the end plate so that the coupling force generated locally by the coupling means is evenly transmitted to a plurality of components.

Therefore, damage is prevented by preventing local stress concentration of the end plate, and fuel and air leakage in the fuel cell are prevented in advance, thereby improving durability.

Claims (9)

At least one membrane electrode assembly for generating a voltage by reacting fuel and air; An electrode plate for guiding the flow of voltage generated in the membrane electrode assembly; An end plate which protects the membrane electrode assembly and forms an appearance; An insulating plate which blocks the flow of voltage to the end plate; It comprises a coupling means for generating a bonding force to the membrane electrode assembly or the insulating plate, and guides the fuel flow, Inside one end of the end plate, And a reinforcing material for dispersing the local bonding force generated by the coupling means in the membrane electrode assembly, the electrode plate, and the insulating plate. The method of claim 1, wherein the end plate, The appearance is formed by the base material, the base material is characterized in that the fuel cell impregnated with a reinforcing material. The method of claim 2, wherein the reinforcing material, A fuel cell, characterized in that formed by weaving a metal continuous fiber containing any one or more of tungsten (W) -based, iron (Fe) -based, nickel (Ni) -based, copper (Cu) -based alloy. The method of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing material, A fuel cell, characterized in that formed of a plate having an elastic force. The fuel cell of claim 4, wherein the reinforcing material is insert injection molded into the end plate. The method of claim 5, wherein the reinforcing material, A fuel cell, characterized in that one side is formed convex. The method of claim 3 or 6, wherein the reinforcing material, The fuel cell, characterized in that the thickness becomes thicker toward the center. The method of claim 7, wherein one side of the reinforcing material, And a through hole through which the coupling means penetrates. The method of claim 8, wherein the through hole, A fuel cell, characterized in that it has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the coupling means.

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