JPH0654671B2 - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Description

Description: Industrial field of application The present invention comprises a stack of a large number of battery cells each having an anode electrode (fuel electrode) and a cathode electrode (oxidizer electrode) sandwiching an alkaline or acidic electrolyte layer. The present invention relates to a fuel cell cooling passage structure, in which a metal frame of aluminum alloy or the like is integrally brazed and laminated, which is excellent in cooling efficiency of an anode gas and a cathode gas, and can make the entire fuel cell extremely small and lightweight.

BACKGROUND ART A fuel cell is a power generation device that directly converts the chemical energy of the fuel into electrical energy while electrochemically oxidizing the fuel.It was first put into practical use as a power source for spacecraft, and it was further generalized to be small and lightweight. Various improvements have been made for the purpose of realizing the above.

The most common hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell as a fuel cell is composed of so-called battery cells in which an electrolyte layer is sandwiched and a fuel electrode (negative electrode, anode electrode) and an oxidant electrode (positive electrode, cathode electrode) are arranged.
High-purity hydrogen and oxygen are used as a fuel and an oxidant to burn hydrogen. Such combustion includes an oxidation reaction by contact of fuel gas with the anode electrode and a reduction reaction by contact of oxidant gas with the cathode electrode. By connecting both electrodes externally, an electromotive force corresponding to the combustion reaction can be obtained, and usually, in order to obtain a required voltage, a configuration in which a large number of the battery cells are laminated
(For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-42107, Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-59631)
Consists of.

Such a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell is excellent in energy efficiency, but what is not converted into electric energy becomes heat, and depending on the type of electrolyte used during its operation, it becomes a high temperature of 80 ° C. or higher, so it is conventionally in operation. Since water is generated along with it, hydrogen gas was circulated to remove the generated water for cooling, and electrolyte solution and each gas were circulated and cooled, but the cooling capacity was insufficient. Met.

For this reason, means such as a cooling water pipe is arranged between the laminated electrolyte layers, the anode, and the cathode gas chamber, and a medium such as water is cooled by a heat exchanger provided outside. Using a heat pipe (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-54664) or cooling only the required electrode side (Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-6229)
However, there are various problems in terms of cooling efficiency, uniform cooling, reduction in size and weight, and structure.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims at a cooling structure for maintaining an operating temperature at an appropriate temperature in a stacked fuel cell, has a simple and easy-to-manufacture structure, and aims to reduce the size and weight of the fuel cell.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell having a cooling passage structure having a configuration with extremely high cooling efficiency.

According to the present invention, a passage body having aluminum alloy corrugated fins built in a thin metal frame made of aluminum alloy is laminated by brazing three passage bodies through a partition plate so as to be joined to the fins. The intermediate passage sealed by the upper and lower partition plates of the three-passage laminated body is the cooling medium passage, and one of the upper and lower passages, which is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the cooling medium passage and open on the opposite side to the cooling medium passage, is the anode gas passage. And a metal frame laminate having a three-passage structure in which the other is a cathode gas passage, and a battery cell in which an anode frame and a cathode electrode are arranged by sandwiching an electrolyte frame made of synthetic resin in which an electrolyte layer is provided. It is composed of a number of stacked layers. As a supply / discharge hole for the anode gas and cathode gas, a thin metal frame and a partition plate for each gas passage, and a through hole coaxially arranged in a single cell are provided, and An elongated hole-shaped sealing passage connected to the anode gas side through hole is provided in a thin sheet metal frame for a refrigerant passage arranged between them, and the sealing passage and the anode gas passage side metal frame body are provided in a partition plate on the anode gas passage side. Is provided with a through hole that communicates with each other, and similarly, a thin metal frame for a refrigerant passage arranged in the middle of the metal frame laminate is provided with an elongated hole-shaped sealing passage connected to the cathode gas side through hole. The partition plate is provided with a through hole that communicates the sealed passage with the inside of the cathode gas passage-side metal frame, and a thin metal frame and a partition plate for each gas passage are arranged coaxially in the single cell as a supply / discharge hole for the cooling medium. A thin plate metal frame for a refrigerant passage disposed in the middle of the metal frame laminate is provided with a long hole-shaped communication passage that connects the through hole with the cooling medium passage inside the frame. , The metal frame and the finish Through holes that are drilled in a plate or a unit cell and coaxially arranged at the time of stacking are used as gas and cooling medium distribution passage holes, and communicate with the gas distribution passage holes when an anode gas or a cathode gas flows in and out, and a cooling medium passage is formed. The fuel cell is characterized by passing through a sealed passage provided in a metal frame for use in the fuel cell.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION More specifically, the present invention relates to a laminated fuel cell in which a cooling medium passage, an anode gas and a cathode gas passage are formed by, for example, brazing and integrally forming a metal frame having a corrugated fin therein. The heat generated by the electrochemical reaction is transferred from the anode gas and cathode gas passages through the corrugated fins to the heat transfer fins in the brazed cooling passage. It is immediately transmitted and radiated through the cooling medium.

Since the cooling structure according to the present invention radiates heat through the corrugated fins, which has excellent heat exchange efficiency, the temperature distribution becomes uniform, and the metal frames to be laminated are brazed and integrally bonded to each other, so that the heat of the bonding portion can be improved. Resistance is extremely small,
A cooling structure for a fuel cell having an extremely high heat dissipation effect can be obtained.

In addition, the cooling structure according to the present invention has an advantage of excellent sealing property of each fluid and uniform distribution of the anode gas and the cathode gas by the corrugated fins by using the metal frame laminated body of the laminated integrated structure by brazing. In addition, since the gas passage uses the metal frame in the stacking direction and the distribution inlet is provided in the cooling passage, the structure greatly contributes to reduction in size and weight of the fuel cell.

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention In the present invention, the metal frame can be provided with passage holes for the cooling medium, the anode, and the cathode gas, and if brazing is possible, its shape and dimensions will depend on the fuel cell type and application. Any material may be selected as appropriate, and in view of thermal efficiency and weight reduction, an aluminum alloy is preferable and a brazing property is also excellent.

In addition to the corrugated fins of the embodiment, the corrugated fins housed in the metal frame are not restricted to the passage of fluid depending on the type of cooling medium such as water, oil, freon, etc. In order to obtain uniform passage in the inside, various types, sizes and materials such as fin shape, corrugated direction, fins with slits and small holes can be applied, thermal efficiency, weight reduction and An aluminum alloy is preferable in consideration of brazing property.

Further, when the anode gas or the cathode gas flows in and out, the sealing passage which is communicated with the gas distribution passage and is provided in the cooling medium passage is provided as a member separate from the metal frame or provided with a means such as forming a groove in the metal frame. Good.

Disclosure Based on Drawings of the Invention FIG. 1 is a front view, a cross-sectional explanatory view, and a partially exploded perspective view of a metal frame laminate showing a cooling passage structure according to the present invention.
2 and 3 are a front explanatory view and a side explanatory view of a fuel cell using the cooling passage structure according to the present invention.

The laminated hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell according to the present invention is made of an aluminum alloy integrally brazed which constitutes the cooling medium passage (2), the anode gas (hydrogen gas) passage (3) and the cathode gas (oxygen gas) passage (4). A metal frame laminate (1) and an electrode plate (7) having a catalyst-coated mesh-shaped copper electrode attached to a gas permeable membrane, a synthetic resin frame (6) having both surfaces closed to form an electrolyte layer. Is alternately laminated between the two header plates (9), and is pressed and laminated around the respective frame bodies to be laminated with a plurality of bolts (8) penetrating the header plates (9). Become.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the header plate (9), in addition to a large number of tightening bolt holes, eight hole portions for attaching a connector (18) to a supply pipe for various fluids or a discharge pipe. Is provided.

The eight holes for the connector (18) correspond to the positions of the distribution passage holes (10) to (17) of the metal frame laminate (1) to be laminated in a large number, and in the drawing, a pair of two passages is formed. , Anode gas passage hole diagonally
(10) (11), cathode gas passage holes (12) (13), cooling medium passage holes (14) (15) in the horizontal direction, and electrolyte solution passage holes (16) in the vertical direction
(17) is placed.

Except for the cooling medium passage holes (14) and (15), the upper side of each set of passage holes constitutes the supply side and the lower side constitutes the outlet side.

As shown in FIG. 1B, each of the metal frames made of the aluminum alloy that constitutes one metal frame laminate (1) has a cooling passage frame (20).
And two gas passage frames (30) (40) sandwiching the cooling passage frame (20) via the partition plate (5), and each metal frame (20) (30) (40)
As shown in FIG. 1, is the projection (21) (3) for the eight passage holes.
1) It is composed of a substantially rectangular thin plate frame provided with (41), and corrugated fins (23) (33) (43) having the same mountain height as the plate thickness are arranged in the frame.

Of these, the cooling passage frame (20) has corners (22) at the four corners of the opening that houses the corrugated fins (23), and the projections (21) for providing gas passage holes form the gas passage. A sealed passage communicating with the hole is formed.

That is, each of the protrusions (21) (31) (41) has a gas passage hole (10).
~ (13) is perforated, and an oblong-shaped sealed passage hole is provided in connection therewith, and the laminated passage and the partition plate (5) form a sealed passage.
(24-27) are formed.

For example, the anode gas from the anode gas passage hole (10) on the supply side enters the sealed passage (24) provided in the cooling passage (2), passes through the hole (51) of the partition plate (5), Enter the anode gas passage (3) of the gas passage frame (30).

The anode gas that has descended in the anode gas passage (3) is sealed in the cooling passage (2) through the hole (52) below the partition plate (5).
(25) and then flows out through the anode gas passage hole (11).

Also in the case of the cathode gas passage hole (12) on the supply side, similarly, the cathode gas enters the sealing passage (26) provided in the cooling passage (2) and the hole (53) of the partition plate (5). ), Enters the cathode gas passage (4) of the gas passage frame (40) and descends in the cathode gas passage (4), the cathode gas is cooled from the hole (54) below the partition plate (5) to the cooling passage. Enter the sealed passage (27) in (2),
Further, it flows out through the cathode gas passage hole (13).

Further, the cooling medium, from the cooling medium passage hole (14) perforated in the protrusion (21) provided in the horizontal direction of the cooling passage frame (20),
The corrugated fin is passed through the communication passage (28) communicating with this.
Entering the cooling medium passage (2) formed in (23), passing horizontally through the passage (2), from the communication passage (29) provided in the protrusion (21) on the opposite side of the frame (20), Entering the cooling medium passage hole (15) on the outflow side,
Outsourced to the outside.

Corrugated fins (23) (33) in the metal frame (20) (30) (40)
(43) is provided with a large number of slits or small holes communicating in the corrugated direction and allows fluid to pass in the horizontal and vertical directions.As described above, in the cooling medium passage (2), the cooling medium flows in the horizontal direction. In the anode gas passage (3) and the cathode gas passage (4), each gas flows from the upper side to the lower side so that each gas intersects in a diagonal direction of the opening of the frame, and each fluid is uniformly distributed in the passage. In addition, it is a structure that passes smoothly.

The metal frame laminate (1) is made of an aluminum alloy together with the frame, corrugated fins and partition plate, and is integrally joined by brazing, so that the heat transfer efficiency is high and uniform, and the gas passage (3, Unnecessary heat in 4) is immediately transferred to the cooling medium in the cooling medium passage (2) by the metal frame laminate (1), and is radiated to the outside by circulating the cooling medium.

When a fuel cell is assembled with the metal frame laminate according to the present invention,
It can be used as a cooling structure for a fuel cell that has an extremely high heat dissipation effect, has excellent sealing properties for each fluid, and has the advantages that anode gas and cathode gas are evenly distributed by corrugated fins. Since the passage is formed by using the metal frame in the stacking direction and the distribution inlet is provided in the cooling medium passage, the structure greatly contributes to reduction in size and weight of the fuel cell.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A, 1B, and 1C are a front view, a cross-sectional explanatory view, and a partially exploded perspective view of a metal frame laminate showing a cooling medium passage structure according to the present invention. 2 and 3 are a front explanatory view and a side explanatory view of a fuel cell using the cooling medium passage structure according to the present invention. 1 ... Metal frame laminate, 2 ... Cooling medium passage, 3,4 ... Gas passage, 5 ... Partition plate, 6 ... Synthetic resin frame, 7 ... Electrode plate, 8 ... Bolt, 9 ... Header plate, 10-17 ...
… Passage hole, 18 …… Connector, 20 …… Cooling passage frame, 21,31,41
...... Protrusions, 22 ...... Corners, 23,33,43 ...... Corrugated fins, 24 to 27 …… Sealed passages, 28,29 …… Communication passages, 30,40…
… Gas passage frame, 51-54… holes.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuji Horie 2-6, Nishi-Nagasumotodori, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture Sumitomo Precision Industries, Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-59-31568 (JP, A) Special Features Kai 49-129839 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A passage body having a corrugated fin made of aluminum alloy contained in a thin metal frame made of aluminum alloy is laminated by brazing three passage bodies via a partition plate so as to be joined to the fin. The intermediate passage sealed by the upper and lower partition plates of the passage laminated body is used as a cooling medium passage, and one of the upper and lower passages, which is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the cooling medium passage and open on the opposite side to the cooling medium passage, is not used as an anode gas passage. , A large number of sets of a metal frame laminate having a three-passage structure in which the other serves as a cathode gas passage, and a battery cell in which an anode frame and a cathode electrode are arranged by sandwiching a synthetic resin electrolyte frame in which an electrolyte layer is provided. A laminated metal frame and partition plate for each gas passage and through holes coaxially arranged in the single cell are provided as supply and discharge holes for the anode gas and the cathode gas, and are arranged in the middle of the metal frame laminated body. The thin metal frame for the refrigerant passage is provided with a long hole-shaped sealing passage connected to the through hole on the anode gas side, and the partition plate on the anode gas passage side penetrates through the sealing passage and the inside of the metal frame body on the anode gas passage side. The thin plate metal frame for the refrigerant passage, which is also provided with a hole in the middle of the metal frame laminate, is provided with an elongated hole-shaped sealing passage connected to the cathode gas side through hole, and the partition plate on the cathode gas passage side is provided. Through holes are provided to connect the sealed passage and the inside of the cathode gas passage-side metal frame, and a thin metal frame and a partition plate for each gas passage are provided as a cooling medium supply / discharge hole, and a through hole coaxially arranged in the single cell. A thin plate metal frame for the refrigerant passage disposed in the middle of the metal frame laminate is provided with a long hole-shaped communication passage that connects the through hole and the cooling medium passage inside the frame body to each other. Frame and partition plate, single cell Piercing coaxially arranged as through-holes of the gas and the cooling medium distribution passage hole and without an anode gas or cathode gas flows during the lamination,
When flowing out, the fuel cell communicates with the gas distribution passage hole and passes through a sealed passage provided in the metal frame for the cooling medium passage.