Patent ID: 8278007
Filing Date: 2012-10-02
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell comprising: a membrane electrode assembly having an anode, a cathode and a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between said anode and said cathode; an anode-side separator and a cathode-side separator that sandwich said membrane electrode assembly and face to each other; a cooling fluid channel for supplying and exhausting a cooling fluid for cooling said membrane electrode assembly which is formed in at least one of said anode-side separator and said cathode-side separator; a fuel gas channel for supplying and exhausting a fuel gas serving as a reaction gas to said membrane electrode assembly which is formed in said anode-side separator; an oxidant gas channel for supplying and exhausting an oxidant gas serving as a reaction gas to said membrane electrode assembly which is formed in said cathode-side separator; an anode-side gasket for sealing said reaction gas which is disposed in the outer portion of said membrane electrode assembly and on the main surface of said anode-side separator facing said membrane electrode assembly; and a cathode-side gasket for sealing said reaction gas which is disposed in the outer portion of said membrane electrode assembly and on the main surface of said cathode-side separator facing said membrane electrode assembly such that said cathode-side gasket faces to said anode-side gasket; wherein said cooling fluid channel, said fuel gas channel and said oxidant gas channel are formed such that their main portions are substantially parallel to each other; an upstream portion of said cooling fluid channel of at least one of said anode-side separator and said cathode-side separator is formed such that it includes at least one of a region corresponding to an anode-side gap formed between said anode-side gasket and said membrane electrode assembly and a region corresponding to a cathode-side gap formed between said cathode-side gasket and said membrane electrode assembly, and said upstream portion of said cooling fluid channel is formed such that it includes a region corresponding to a middle stream portion and a subsequent portion of at least one of said fuel gas channel and said oxidant gas channel, said upstream portion of said cooling fluid channel, said anode-side gap, said cathode-side gap, said middle stream portion and said subsequent portion are arranged to allow water vapor contained in said reaction gas that flows into said anode-side gap and water vapor contained in said reaction gas that flows into said cathode-side gap to condense in at least a part of said anode-side gap and said cathode-side gap, and to allow the condensed water to fill at least one of said anode-side gap and said cathode-side gap, said cooling fluid channel, said fuel gas channel and said oxidant gas channel each have a serpentine structure, and the upstream portion of the cooling fluid channel is a portion extending from an end of the cooling fluid channel connecting to a manifold aperture for supplying cooling fluid to a position that satisfies the equation: L where: L L