Patent ID: 8268507
Filing Date: 2012-09-18
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell formed by stacking a plurality of power generation cells in a stacking direction, wherein each of said plurality of power generation cells includes an electrolyte electrode assembly and metal separators sandwiching said electrolyte electrode assembly, said electrolyte electrode assembly including an anode and a cathode and an electrolyte interposed between said anode and said cathode, wherein a reactant gas flow field is formed along an electrode surface for supplying a reactant gas through said reactant gas flow field; a coolant flow field is formed between said power generation cells for supplying a coolant through said coolant flow field; a reactant gas passage extends through said power generation cells, and is connected to said reactant gas flow field; a coolant passage extends through said power generation cells, and is connected to said coolant flow field; a first seal is provided on a top surface of one of said metal separators for sealing said reactant gas flow field; a second seal is provided on a bottom surface of said metal separator for sealing said coolant flow field, wherein said bottom surface is spaced apart from and parallel to said top surface, said bottom surface and said top surface of said metal separator extend perpendicular to the stacking direction; said first seal includes a flow guide made of a same material as said first seal, said flow guide connecting said reactant gas flow field and said reactant gas passage, and said flow guide provided on said top surface overlaps a continuous section of said second seal provided on said bottom surface such that said separator is sandwiched between said flow guide and said continuous overlapping section of said second seal, wherein the flow guide and the continuous overlapping section are resilient, the flow guide provided on the top surface and the continuous section of the second seal provided on the bottom surface extend in different directions, wherein a seal length of the flow guide provided on the top surface is greater than a seal width of the second seal provided on the bottom surface; wherein a line pressure of said flow guide and a line pressure of said continuous overlapping section are substantially the same, and wherein a seal length of said flow guide and a seal length of said continuous overlapping section are substantially the same such that when a load is applied to said flow guide and said continuous overlapping section in the stacking direction, said flow guide and said continuous overlapping section are substantially equally deformed in the stacking direction to the same extent.