JPS603869A - Air cooling type fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make construction simple by constructing the portion, facing a manifold for cooling air, of a manifold for reaction air with a heat resistant, insulating, elastic plate having a seal frame in which each cooling plate projection part is fixed in airtightness, and arranging a supporting plate having a window with a play of each seal frame on the elastic plate. CONSTITUTION:A cell stack 1 is assembled in such a way that a unit cell is constructed by interposing electrolyte matrix between gas electrodes, and a gas separating carbon plate is prepared by arranging reaction gas (hydrogen and air) flow path in the direction crossing each other on its both sides, then a large number of unit cells and gas separating plates are stacked, and carbon cooling plates 2 having air flow path 5 are placed every four to five unit cells, then they are tightened after the upper and lower end plates are placed. Each cooling plate 2 is projected from the air flow surface of the stack 1 and connected to a cooling air manifold 6. A reaction air manifold 3 is constructed with a frame 31 and a plate 32, and a window 4 in which a cooling plate projecting part 2' is fixed with a play is installed at certain spaces in the plate 32. A sealing frame 12 in which the cooling plate projection part 2' is fixed in airtightness is installed in a heat resistant, insulating, elastic plate 11 such as fluorine rubber formed in the plate 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 0) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an air-cooled fuel cell, and particularly to a fuel cell in which cooling air and reaction air are separately supplied.

(b) Conventional technology The method of supplying cooling air to a fuel cell is that part of the air sent to the common manifold is used as reaction air to flow through the gas separation plate passage, and most of the other air is used as cooling air to flow through the cooling plate passage. There are two methods: a method in which each air is introduced separately, and a method in which cooling air is supplied separately from the reaction air.

The former has the advantage that the pattern of each passage is simple, but it is difficult to distribute the air intake required for reaction and cooling to each passage, and the balance between battery reaction and '7E pond temperature is lost. Unfavorable in terms of battery characteristics.

On the other hand, the latter uses a stack 0) and a manifold (b) as shown in Figures 1 and 2 to separate and supply reaction air and cooling air, so the pattern of the reaction gas passages is particularly complicated and the gas separation plate is Isn't it difficult to create and has high distribution resistance? There were problems such as the need for a large-capacity blower.

In view of this problem, Junto Motode made a series of improvements to the stack that supplies cooling air and reaction air in common, making it possible to supply cooling air and reaction air separately. A patent application for air-cooled fuel cells has already been filed in 1971-1571.
I proposed this in issue 33.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the battery described above has a reaction air manifold ( A cooling air manifold (6) is installed on the reaction air manifold (3) in an airtight manner to expose the air passage (5) of the cooling plate (3) to each window. ) is attached. In addition, communication ports (7) corresponding to the substack between each cooling plate (2) are bored on the negative side of the reaction air manifold (3), and an auxiliary manifold (8) is provided to cover these communication ports (7). has.

A hydrogen gas supply manifold (9) is attached to the hydrogen flow surface of the stack (2) as usual.

In this case, in order to seal the space between the protrusion (C) of the cooling plate (2) and the window (4) of the reaction air manifold (3), the window is generally closed as shown in Figures 6 and 7. A possible method is to fill and apply fluororubber [1(i)] into the gap between (4) and the cooling plate protrusion (2'). However, due to variations in the thickness of the stack (substack fx when the number of stacked cells of 11 increases) as batteries become larger, the intervals between the cooling plates (2) become uneven, and as a result, the gaps between the cooling plate protrusions and the windows become uneven. There is a possibility that the dimensions will not match. This includes the window (4
) If you increase the dimensions around - to provide some extra space, it will be easier to see.
There was a problem in that the gap between the cooling plate protrusion ()') and the cooling plate protrusion was naturally large and became impossible to seal using the method described above.

0 OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air-cooled fuel cell of a cooling air separation type with a simple configuration, and in particular, to provide a reaction air manifold and a cooling plate protrusion that solve the previous Rt2 problem. It is to provide a seal configuration.

B) Structure of the Invention The present invention is characterized in that a reaction air manifold and a cooling air manifold are stacked in sequence on the air circulation surface of a battery stack, and each cooling plate interposed in the stack is provided to protrude from the air circulation surface. The air-cooled fuel cell is of a type in which the reaction air manifold is formed with a curved opening into which the cooling plate protrusion fits loosely, and the air passage is communicated with a cooling air manifold. It is characterized in that a heat-resistant insulating elastic plate integrally formed with a seal frame having a smaller circumferential dimension is attached, and the cooling plate protrusion is attached to the seal frame in an airtight manner.

Further, in the air-cooled fuel cell of the above-mentioned type, the present invention provides that the surface of the reaction air manifold facing the cooling air manifold is integrally formed with a sealing frame that airtightly fits each of the cooling plate protrusions. The present invention is characterized in that it is constructed of a heat-resistant, insulated, elastic plate, and a reinforcing plate in which openings for the respective seal frames are bored is attached to the elastic plate.

(E) Example The battery stack (1) according to the present invention has a unit cell in which an electrolyte matrix is interposed between negative and positive gas electrodes, and reaction gas passages (hydrogen gas and air) arranged in mutually intersecting directions on both sides. A carbonaceous cooling plate (2) in which a large number of carbonaceous gas separation plates are stacked alternately and has an air passage (5) every 4 to 5 units.
It is constructed by interposing and tightening between the upper and lower end plates.

This configuration is similar to the battery stack of the so-called Daigas system that commonly supplies reaction air and cooling air, but in the present invention, each cooling plate (2) is provided protruding from the air circulation surface of the stack fi+ for cooling. It communicates with the air manifold (6) to provide a cooling separation system.

The present invention relates to a seal structure for the portion where each of the cooling plate protrusions (2) penetrates the reaction air manifold (3), and an embodiment thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11.

Example 1 The reaction air manifold (3) shown in FIG.
, 1) and a plate part (32), but both may be integrally formed by metal press working. Plate part (32
), holes (4) are bored at intervals through which the cooling plate protrusions (2) fit together, and a heat-resistant insulating elastic plate such as fluorine rubber is attached to this plate body (32). (11) is integrally formed with a sealing frame Q to which the cooling plate protrusion (2) is hermetically bottomed.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the seal part in Fig. 8, and since one seal part is made of an elastic plate made of rubber or the like and can be expanded and contracted, even if there is some uneven spacing between the cooling plate protrusions (2), In addition to being able to absorb this, the window (4) of the reaction air manifold (3) is sized to accommodate the uneven spacing of each cooling plate protrusion (2) to prevent contact with the cooling plate. The manifold (6) uses the peripheral portion of the elastic plate (0) as a sealing member to form a reaction air manifold (3).
) is tightened and fixed.

Example 2 The reaction air manifold (3) shown in FIG.
1) and an elastic plate (11) similar to that of Example 1, and a cooling plate protrusion (2") is hermetically sealed at the bottom of the seal frame θ- formed on the elastic plate (11). A metal reinforcing plate (131) having one escape window (4゛) is attached to the elastic plate (ltl), and a cooling Install the air manifold (6).The reason for providing this reinforcing plate (131) is that the supply air internal pressure of the reaction air manifold (3) is higher than the internal pressure of the cooling air manifold (6). This is to prevent the river from deforming due to pressure differences.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the seal part in FIG. 9, and the relationship between the sealing elastic plate and the metal plate [reinforcement plate (13) or reaction air manifold plate body part (32] is reversed). It can be easily understood that the same effect as shown in Example 1 can be obtained.

(e) Effects of invention Oh, yoyo engineering, 1ゎ52. . -Yo. By making a slight modification to a normal stack in which air and reaction air passages are open, a cooling air separation system can be created. The pattern is extremely simple, simplifying the production of the gas separation plate.

In addition, the parts protruding from the cooling plates interposed in the stack are hermetically fitted into seal frames formed from elastic plates such as heat-resistant rubber, and pass through the reaction air manifold, so that each protruding cooling Even if the spacing between the plates is somewhat uneven, it is flexible and advantageous for assembly, and the window on the reaction air manifold surface to which this elastic plate is attached can be made thicker to prevent contact with the protruding cooling plate. In addition, when the reaction air manifold surface is made of an elastic plate, a reinforcing plate with a 7-hole frame relief window is installed inside each of the reaction air and cooling air manifolds, which are mounted on each other. prevents deformation of the elastic plate due to pressure difference.

Furthermore, the peripheral portion of the elastic plate attached to the manifold has various advantages such as being able to double as a mounting seal member for the cooling air manifold.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are both plan views of a conventional air-cooled battery having a separate cooling air path. 3 to 5 show the fuel cell of the present invention, in which Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same, FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the battery stack. Figures 6 and 7 show a general reaction air manifold and the sealing part of the protruding cooling plate, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts.
FIG. 7 is a front view. 8 and 9 are exploded perspective views of essential parts of the fuel cell of the present invention, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are sectional views of the seal portion corresponding to FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively. 1)...Battery stack, (2)...Cooling plate, (2
;... Cooling plate protrusion, (3)... Reaction air manifold, (4) (4)... Window, (5)... Air passage;
(6)... Cooling air manifold, (7)... Communication port, (8)... Auxiliary manifold, (9)... Reaction hydrogen frame, (1:1... Reinforcement plate Figure 1 Figure 7 Figure 6 Figure 1θ Figure U

Claims (1)

[Claims] ■ A reaction air manifold and a cooling air manifold are stacked in sequence on the air circulation surface of the battery stack, and each cooling plate interposed in the stack is provided to protrude from the air circulation surface. The air passage is communicated with the inside of the cooling air manifold, and the reaction air manifold is formed with a window through which the cooling plate protrusion fits loosely, and a sealing frame smaller than the window is integrally formed. An air-cooled fuel cell characterized in that a heat-resistant insulating elastic plate is attached, and each of the cooling plate protrusions described above is hermetically fitted into each of the seal frames. (2) The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral portion of the elastic plate serves as a part of a mounting seal member for a cooling air manifold. ■ A reaction air manifold and a cooling air manifold are sequentially stacked and mounted on the air circulation surface of the battery stack, and each cooling plate interposed in the battery stack is provided to protrude from the air circulation surface to open the air passage. The reactor air manifold is connected to the inside of the cooling air manifold, and the reaction air manifold has a sealing frame integrally protruding from the surface facing the cooling air manifold to airtightly fit each of the cooling plate protrusions. 1. An air-cooled fuel cell comprising a heat-resistant insulating elastic plate, and a reinforcing plate having relief windows for each of the seal frames attached to the elastic plate.