Patent ID: 9190680
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel battery comprising a plurality of laminated unit cells, wherein each unit cell includes a membrane-electrode assembly, in which an electrode is arranged on each of both surfaces of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and a first separator and a second separator arranged to sandwich the membrane-electrode assembly therebetween, an oxidant gas flow passage is formed between the first separator and the membrane-electrode assembly of each unit cell, a fuel gas flow passage is formed between the second separator and the membrane-electrode assembly of each unit cell, and a flowing direction of oxidant gas in the oxidant gas flow passage of each unit cell is opposite to that of fuel gas in the fuel gas flow passage of the same unit cell, each oxidant gas flow passage includes an upstream section and a downstream section with respect to the flowing direction of the oxidant gas in the oxidant gas flow passage, the upstream section of the oxidant gas flow passage is formed as a plurality of groove flow passages independent of each other by providing a plurality of first grooves on a surface of the first separator that faces the membrane-electrode assembly of each unit cell, and a first gas diffusion porous body is arranged in the downstream section of each oxidant gas flow passage, with no gas diffusion porous body being arranged in the upstream section of each oxidant gas flow passage, each fuel gas flow passage includes an upstream section and a downstream section with respect to the flowing direction of the fuel gas in the fuel gas flow passage, the upstream section of the fuel gas flow passage is formed as a plurality of groove flow passages independent of each other by providing a plurality of second grooves on a surface of the second separator that faces the membrane-electrode assembly of each unit cell, and a second gas diffusion porous body is arranged in the downstream section of each fuel gas flow passage, and a cooling medium flow passage is formed between the first separator of each unit cell and the second separator of a unit cell adjacent to the same unit cell, a flowing direction of a cooling medium in the cooling medium flow passage between the unit cells adjacent to each other is the same as that of the oxidant gas in the oxidant gas flow passages of these unit cells, each cooling medium flow passage includes an upstream section and a downstream section with respect to the flowing direction of the cooling medium in the cooling medium flow passage, and the upstream section of each cooling medium flow passage is located closer to a surface of the membrane-electrode assembly that faces the oxidant gas flow passage adjacent to the cooling medium flow passage as compared with the downstream section of the cooling medium flow passage.