SEAL STRUCTURE OF FUEL CELL

• Main Authors: KURANO YOSHIHIRO, KOGA SHOTARO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.06.2012
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRICITY; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell seal structure which allows for simplification of the component shape, facilitation of manufacturing and assembling, and cost reduction by eliminating the need for grooving of one of a pair of separators sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly or integral molding of a gasket.SOLUTION: The fuel cell seal structure has a membrane electrode assembly provided with electrode layers on both sides of an electrolyte membrane, and separators sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly. Plane sizes of the electrode layers are set equal to each other, the plane size of the electrolyte membrane is set larger than that of the electrode layers, and the plane size of the separator is set larger than that of the electrolyte membrane. In this basic configuration, a first gasket held by one separator in tight contact with the other separator, and a second gasket held by one separator in tight contact with the electrolyte membrane are provided. In order to reinforce the electrolyte membrane that is in tight contact with the second gasket from the back side, a reinforcement member is provided separately from the electrode layer.