JP6079565B2 - GAS PATH FORMING MEMBER, ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND FUEL CELL - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas flow path forming member, a manufacturing method thereof, and a fuel cell.

  A gas flow path forming member used in a fuel cell is disposed between a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) or a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly (MEGA) and a separator. The As the gas flow path forming member, for example, a member such as expanded metal in which through holes having the same shape are regularly arranged in multiple rows may be used (Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-140795 A

  Conventionally, when manufacturing a gas flow path forming member, when the gas flow path forming member is cut to a desired size, the through hole at the end may be uniformly deformed due to the stress caused by the cutting. When such a deformed gas flow path forming member is used in a fuel cell, the gas flow may be uneven for each gas flow path forming member. Therefore, there has been a demand for a technique that can flow gas satisfactorily when the gas flow path forming member is cut.

SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.
The first aspect of the present invention is a gas flow path forming member. This gas flow path forming member is
A gas flow path forming member disposed in the fuel cell for flowing gas in a first direction along the electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell;
A plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
Each gas flow path forming element has a wavy cross section along the second direction,
Each gas flow path forming element is connected in the first direction so that the phase of the corrugated cross section between the adjacent gas flow path forming elements is different.
At least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end of the gas flow path forming member in the first direction is a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. It is formed by being cut obliquely with respect to the second direction.
The second aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a gas flow path forming member. This manufacturing method is
A method of manufacturing a gas flow path forming member that is disposed in a fuel cell and allows a gas to flow in a first direction along an electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell,
A plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
Each gas flow path forming element has a wavy cross section along the second direction,
A step of preparing a gas flow path forming member connected in the first direction so that each of the gas flow path forming elements has a phase of a wave-shaped cross section between adjacent gas flow path forming elements;
The prepared gas flow path forming member is given a predetermined shape by applying stress from a third direction which is a direction orthogonal to a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction by a cutting machine. And a step of cutting
In the cutting step, at least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end of the gas flow path forming member in the first direction is inclined with respect to the second direction in the plane. Disconnect.
The third aspect of the present invention is a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked. This fuel cell
The cell includes a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, a separator disposed to face the membrane electrode assembly, a membrane electrode assembly and the separator, and a cell along the electrolyte membrane. A gas flow path forming member for flowing gas in the direction of 1,
The gas flow path forming member is:
A plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
Each gas flow path forming element has a wavy cross section along the second direction,
Each gas flow path forming element is connected in the first direction so that the phase of the corrugated cross section between the adjacent gas flow path forming elements is different.
At least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end of the gas flow path forming member in the first direction is a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. It is formed by being cut obliquely with respect to the second direction.
The present invention can also be realized as the following forms.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas flow path forming member that is disposed in a fuel cell and allows a gas to flow in a first direction along an electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell. The gas flow path forming member includes a plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction intersecting the first direction; each gas flow path forming element extends along the second direction cross section be corrugated; each gas channel-forming elements, the first being connected to the direction; the gas flow path located at an end in the first direction of the gas flow path forming member formed At least a part of the element is formed by being cut obliquely with respect to the second direction on a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. In the case of such a gas flow path forming member, at least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at the end and the second direction are cut in parallel to each other, compared with the case where the second direction is cut. The shape of the cross section of the gas flow path forming element is not uniform. Therefore, since the gas flow path at the end of the gas flow path forming member is prevented from being uniformly narrowed, the gas can be flowed satisfactorily.

(2) In the gas flow path forming member of the above aspect, the end may be an end on the side from which the oxidizing gas is discharged from the fuel cell. If it is a gas flow path formation member of such a form, the water produced | generated by reaction of the fuel cell with the oxidizing gas which was not used for electric power generation can be poured favorably.

(3) In the gas flow path forming member of the above aspect, the gas flow path forming elements are connected in the first direction so that the phase of the wave-shaped cross section of the adjacent gas flow path forming elements is different. May be. With such a gas flow path forming member, the gas path in the gas flow direction can be lengthened, so that the gas diffusibility in the fuel cell can be improved.

(4) According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a gas flow path forming member that is disposed in a fuel cell and that allows gas to flow in a first direction along an electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell. Is done. In this method, the gas flow path forming member includes a plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction intersecting with the first direction; The gas flow path forming element is provided with a gas flow path forming member connected in the first direction; and the prepared gas flow path forming member. Cutting a sheet into a predetermined shape by applying stress from a third direction that is a direction intersecting a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction by a cutting machine; in the step of the cutting, at least part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end portion in the first direction of the gas flow path forming member, in the plane, obliquely with respect to the second direction Disconnect. According to such a method, even if the shape of the gas flow path forming element located at the end is deformed by the stress applied to the gas flow path forming member prepared from the third direction, the gas flow path Compared to the case where the forming element is cut so that the extending direction and the second direction are parallel to each other, it is possible to suppress the shape of the cross section from being uniformly deformed. Therefore, since the gas flow path at the end of the gas flow path forming member is prevented from being uniformly narrowed, the gas can be flowed satisfactorily.

(5) According to another aspect of the present invention, a fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked is provided. The cell includes a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, a separator disposed to face the membrane electrode assembly, a membrane electrode assembly and the separator, and a cell along the electrolyte membrane. A gas flow path forming member for flowing gas in one direction; the gas flow path forming member; a gas flow path forming element extending in parallel with a second direction intersecting the first direction A plurality of the gas flow path forming elements each having a corrugated cross section along the second direction; the gas flow path forming elements being connected in the first direction; at least a portion of the gas flow path forming element located at an end portion in the first direction of the road forming member, in the plane formed by the said first direction and said second direction, said second It is formed by cutting obliquely with respect to the direction. In such a fuel cell, a cell having a gas flow path forming portion with a uniformly narrow gas flow path at the end portion or a cell having a gas flow path forming portion with a uniformly wide gas flow path at the end portion is provided. Mixing in the fuel cell can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the power generation performance of the fuel cell.

  The present invention can also be realized in various forms other than the above-described gas flow path forming member, the method for manufacturing the gas flow path forming member, and the fuel cell. For example, it is realizable with forms, such as a fuel cell provided with a gas channel formation member, and a vehicle provided with a fuel cell.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of a fuel cell. It is a schematic perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the structure of a cell. It is a figure for demonstrating the mode of oxidation gas discharge hole vicinity. It is an enlarged view of the broken line part of the gas flow path formation member in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of a gas flow path formation member. It is a figure for demonstrating the mode of the cutting | disconnection by a cutting machine. It is a figure which shows the gas flow path formation member cut | disconnected so that the extending direction of a gas flow path formation element and the edge part of a gas flow path formation member may become parallel. It is a figure which shows the modification of the edge part of a gas flow path formation member.

A. Embodiment:
A1. overall structure:
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the fuel cell 100. The fuel cell 100 has a stack structure in which a plurality of cells 10 are stacked in the Z direction and sandwiched between a pair of end plates 70F and 70E. A front end side terminal plate 60F is provided between the front end side end plate 70F and the cell 10 via a front end side insulating plate 65F. Similarly, a rear end side terminal plate 60E is provided between the rear end side end plate 70E and the cell 10 via a rear end side insulating plate 65E. The cell 10, the terminal plates 60F and 60E, the insulating plates 65F and 65E, and the end plates 70F and 70E each have a plate structure having a substantially rectangular outer shape, with long sides in the X direction and short sides in the Y direction. It is arranged along. In this embodiment, the Y direction is a vertically upward direction, the Z direction is a horizontal direction, and the X direction is a direction perpendicular to both the Y direction and the Z direction. The X direction corresponds to the “second direction” of the present application, the Y direction corresponds to the “first direction” of the present application, and the Z direction corresponds to the “third direction” of the present application.

The end plate 70F, the insulating plate 65F, and the terminal plate 60F on the front end side are provided with a fuel gas supply hole 72i and a fuel gas discharge hole 72t, a plurality of oxidizing gas supply holes 74i and an oxidizing gas discharge hole 74t, and a plurality of cooling water supplies. A hole 76i and a cooling water discharge hole 76t are provided. These supply holes and discharge holes are connected to respective holes (not shown) provided at corresponding positions of the respective cells 10 to constitute gas / cooling water supply / discharge manifolds corresponding to the respective holes. On the other hand, these supply / discharge holes are not provided in the end plate 70E, the insulating plate 65E, and the terminal plate 60E on the rear end side. This is because the reaction gas (fuel gas, oxidant gas) and cooling water are supplied from the front end plate 70F to each cell 10 via the supply manifold, while the exhaust gas and water discharged from each cell 10 are supplied. This is because the fuel cell is of a type that discharges the fuel from the end plate 70 F on the front end side to the outside through the discharge manifold. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a type in which reaction gas and cooling water are supplied from the end plate 70F on the front end side, and exhaust gas and discharge water are discharged to the outside from the end plate 70E on the rear end side. Can be of various types.

  The plurality of oxidizing gas supply holes 74i are arranged along the X direction at the outer edge portion of the lower end of the end plate 70F on the front end side. The plurality of oxidizing gas discharge holes 74t are arranged along the X direction at the outer edge of the upper end. The fuel gas supply hole 72i is disposed at the upper end in the Y direction of the outer edge at the right end of the end plate 70F on the front end side. The fuel gas discharge hole 72t is disposed at the lower end in the Y direction of the outer edge at the left end. The plurality of cooling water supply holes 76i are arranged along the Y direction below the fuel gas supply holes 72i. The plurality of cooling water discharge holes 76t are disposed along the Y direction above the fuel gas discharge holes 72t.

  The front-end-side terminal plate 60F and the rear-end-side terminal plate 60E are current collecting plates for the generated power of each cell 10, and are used to output the power collected from terminals not shown to the outside.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the cell 10 in an exploded manner. The cell 10 includes a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly (MEGA) 11, an anode side separator 20 and a cathode side separator 30 that sandwich the MEGA 11 from both sides, and a space between the cathode side separator 30 and the MEGA 11. The gas flow path forming member 50 disposed on the surface of the MEGA 11 and an adhesive seal 40 covering the outer periphery of the MEGA 11 are provided.

  The MEGA 11 is composed of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in which a pair of catalyst electrode layers are formed on both surfaces of an electrolyte membrane, and a power generator in which a pair of gas diffusion layers is formed on both surfaces of the membrane electrode assembly. It is. Note that MEGA may be referred to as MEA.

  The anode-side separator 20 and the cathode-side separator 30 are composed of members having gas barrier properties and electronic conductivity, for example, carbon members such as dense carbon that compresses the carbon particles and makes the gas impermeable, It is formed of a press-molded metal member such as stainless steel or titanium.

  The anode-side separator 20 has a groove-like fuel gas passage formed on the MEGA 11 side surface, and a groove-like cooling water passage formed on the opposite surface. The anode-side separator 20 includes fuel gas supply holes 22i and fuel gas discharge holes 22t, a plurality of oxidant gas supply holes 24i and oxidant gas discharge holes 24t, and a plurality of cooling waters as supply / discharge holes constituting the manifold described above. A supply hole 26i and a cooling water discharge hole 26t are formed.

  The cathode separator 30 includes a fuel gas supply hole 32i and a fuel gas discharge hole 32t, a plurality of oxidizing gas supply holes 34i and an oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t, a plurality of cooling water supply holes 36i and a cooling water discharge hole 36t, Is formed. Similarly, the adhesive seal 40 also has a fuel gas supply hole 42i and a fuel gas discharge hole 42t, and a plurality of oxidizing gas supply holes 44i and an oxidizing gas discharge hole 44t corresponding to the supply and discharge holes of the anode-side separator 20. A plurality of cooling water supply holes 46i and cooling water discharge holes 46t are formed.

  The gas flow path forming member 50 allows the oxidizing gas supplied from the oxidizing gas supply hole 34i of the cathode side separator 30 to flow in the + Y direction along the XY plane of the MEGA 11 and to discharge from the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t. Configure the road.

  FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the state in the vicinity of the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t. FIG. 3A is an XY plan view of the cell 10. FIG. 3B is an enlarged YZ plan view showing the AA portion of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3B, in the vicinity of the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t, the seal rubber 38, the cathode side separator 30, the gas flow path forming member 50, the adhesive seal 40, the adhesive rubber 48, and the anode side separator are arranged from the −Z direction side. 20 are stacked. From the end portion 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 on the side of the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t, oxidizing gas that has not been consumed by power generation and water (generated water) generated along with power generation are discharged.

  As the gas flow path forming member 50, a porous material having gas diffusibility and conductivity such as a metal porous body is used. In the present embodiment, expanded metal is used as the gas flow path forming member 50.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a broken line portion 50p in the gas flow path forming member 50 in FIG. FIG. 4A is an XY plan view of the broken line portion 50p. FIG. 4B is an XZ plan view of the broken line portion 50 p and shows one of the gas flow path forming elements 51. The gas flow path forming member 50 is a member for flowing gas in the Y direction, and includes a plurality of gas flow path forming elements 51 extending in parallel with the X direction. The gas flow path forming elements 51 are connected in the Y direction. The boundary between the gas flow path forming element 51 and the gas flow path forming element 51 is parallel to the X direction. In addition, the width | variety (pitch) of the Y direction of the gas flow path formation element 51 in this embodiment is about 0.55 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the XZ cross section of the gas flow path forming element 51 has a regular wave shape having an amplitude in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 4A, adjacent gas flow path forming elements 51 are connected in the Y direction so that the phase of the waveform in the XZ cross section is different. For example, when stress is applied to such a gas flow path forming element 51 from the Z direction along the X direction, the regular waves formed in the X direction on the gas flow path forming element 51 are uniformly distributed. It is deformed and the same crushing condition is obtained in the X direction. However, in the present embodiment, the gas flow path forming element 51 disposed at the end portion 53 on the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t side is cut obliquely with respect to the X direction on the XY plane (see FIG. 6). For this reason, the wave at the cut surface of the end portion 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 has a different cutting position in the Y direction for each wave, so that the crushing method is the gas flow path forming element 51 along the X direction. It is more irregular than if you cut it. In the present embodiment, since the end portion on the oxidizing gas supply hole 34i side is also cut obliquely so as to be parallel to the end portion 53 on the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t side, the cut surface is irregularly crushed. ing.

A2. Manufacturing method of gas flow path forming member:
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the gas flow path forming member 50. In manufacturing the gas flow path forming member 50, first, a large gas flow path forming member 50k is prepared (step S10).

  Next, the large gas flow path forming member 50k is cut into a predetermined size by the cutting machine 200 (step S20). As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting is performed by pressing a large gas flow path forming member 50k from a Z direction which is a direction intersecting the XY plane by a cutting machine 200 including a punch 210 and a die 220. .

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a state of cutting by the cutting machine 200. In step S20, the large gas flow path forming member 50k is cut such that the end 53 is inclined with respect to the extending direction (X direction) of the gas flow path forming element 51. In the present embodiment, the cutting machine 200 is configured such that the angle of the cut surface 213 is such that the angle formed between the end portion 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 and the X direction is 0.24 °, which is an angle greater than about 0 °. Is stipulated. When the cutting is performed, the gas flow path forming member 50 having the gas flow path forming element 51 cut obliquely with respect to the X direction on the XY plane is completed (FIG. 5, step S30). In step S <b> 20, the gas flow path forming element 51 may be cut obliquely or may be cut obliquely across a plurality of adjacent gas flow path forming elements 51. In addition, in order to suppress an increase in diffusion resistance due to the blockage of the outlet of the gas flow path, the angle formed by the end 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 and the X direction may be less than 2.43 °. Preferably, the angle is 1.62 ° or less.

A3. effect:
Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the gas flow path forming members 50f, 50g, and 50h cut so that the extending direction of the gas flow path forming element and the end of the gas flow path forming member are parallel to each other. FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C show a view of the end portion from the Y direction (side view) and a view of the end portion from the Z direction (top view). The directions in the top view and the side view in FIG. 7 correspond to the directions in the top view and the side view shown in FIG. FIG. 7A shows an end portion 53f formed by cutting the gas flow path forming element 51 at a position about two thirds of the Y direction. FIG. 7B shows an end portion 53g formed by cutting the gas flow path forming element 51 at about a half position in the Y direction. FIG. 7C shows an end portion 53 h formed by cutting at the boundary between the gas flow path forming element 51 and the gas flow path forming element 51.

  The gas flow path forming element 51 has a wave-shaped cross section having an amplitude in the Z direction, and the degree to which the wave is crushed and the amplitude is reduced varies depending on the cutting position in the Y direction where stress is applied from the Z direction. . Therefore, as shown in the side views of FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, the wave shapes of the cross sections of the end portions 53f, 53g, and 53h are different from each other. Therefore, for example, in the cell using the gas flow path forming member 50h in FIG. 7C, the gas flow path at the end 53h of the gas flow path forming member 50h is uniformly wide, and thus the power generation performance is good. However, in the cell using the gas flow path forming member 50f in FIG. 7A and the cell using the gas flow path forming member 50g in FIG. 7B, the end portions of the gas flow path forming members 50f and 50g are used. The gas flow paths in 53f and 53g are uniformly narrow, and the power generation performance is lower than that of the cell using the gas flow path forming member 50h in FIG. Therefore, in a fuel cell having a plurality of cells each using the gas flow path forming members 50f, 50g, and 50h, the gas flow is not uniform between the cells, so that the power generation performance may be reduced.

  On the other hand, the gas flow path forming member 50 in the present embodiment is formed by cutting an end portion 53 obliquely with respect to the extending direction (X direction) of the gas flow path forming element 51 on the XY plane. Therefore, the amplitude of the wave at the end 53 does not vary, and the gas flow path at the end 53 does not narrow uniformly. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the ends are cut off in the direction in which the gas flow path forming member extends except at the boundary between the gas flow path forming element 51 and the gas flow path forming element 51. Compared with the case where it was made, gas can be flowed favorably in a gas flow direction (Y direction).

  Furthermore, the end 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 is located on the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t side. Therefore, compared with the case where the amplitude of the wave of the edge part of the gas flow path formation member 50 is uniformly small, it can suppress that the drainage property of generated water falls. Therefore, since the inflow of the oxidizing gas from the oxidizing gas supply hole 34i is performed smoothly, the power generation performance of the cell 10 can be improved. Further, the gas flow path forming elements 51 are connected in the Y direction, which is the gas flow direction, so that the phases of the wave-shaped cross sections of the adjacent gas flow path forming elements are different. Therefore, since the gas path in the gas flow direction can be lengthened, the gas diffusibility in the fuel cell can be improved.

  The fuel cell 100 includes a plurality of cells 10 including the gas flow path forming member 50 described above. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the power generation performance of the fuel cell 100 due to the non-uniform gas flow between the cells 10.

  In order to improve the gas flow, it is conceivable to perform cutting by positioning the cutting machine 200 at the boundary between the gas flow path forming element 51 and the gas flow path forming element 51. However, when the pitch of the gas flow path forming elements 51 is narrow, it may take time to perform alignment. Moreover, it may take time and cost to adjust the feed amount of the large gas flow path forming member 50k to the cutting machine 200. However, according to the method for manufacturing the gas flow path forming member 50 of the present embodiment, the angle formed by the punch 210 and the die 220 of the cutting machine 200 and the direction (X direction) in which the gas flow path forming element 51 is formed. The gas flow path forming member 50 can be manufactured simply by cutting the gas flow path to be larger than 0 °. Therefore, since labor required for manufacturing is reduced, the manufacturing cost of the gas flow path forming member 50 can be reduced.

B. Modification B1. Modification 1:
FIG. 8 is a view showing a modification of the end portion of the gas flow path forming member. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t of the cell. The gas flow path forming member shown in FIG. 8 has the same shape in each of the oxidizing gas discharge holes 34t. 8A is a cell 10a having an end portion 53a cut into a waveform, FIG. 8B is a cell 10b having an end portion 53b cut into a chevron, and FIG. 8C is cut into a valley shape. A cell 10c with an end 53c is shown. 8D shows a cell 10d having an end 53d cut into a semicircle, and FIG. 8E shows a cell 10e having an end 53e cut into a trapezoid. Thus, in each of the oxidizing gas discharge holes 34t, if each of the oxidizing gas discharge holes 34t has a shape such that the angle formed by the X direction and the end portion 53 is not less than 0 °, Gas can flow well. Therefore, the gas flow in one cell can be made uniform.

B2. Modification 2:
In the method for manufacturing the gas flow path forming member 50 described above, the large gas flow path forming member 50k is cut by the cutting machine 200 including the punch 210 and the die 220. On the other hand, if the gas flow path forming element 51 is cut obliquely with respect to the extending direction of the gas flow path forming element 51, the large gas flow path forming member 50k may be cut by another method. For example, the gas flow path forming member 50k installed on the thick plate may be cut by applying stress from the Z direction with a press die. Further, the gas flow path forming member 50k may be cut by applying stress from the Z direction with a blade such as a cutter instead of a press die.

B3. Modification 3:
In the above embodiment, the gas flow path forming member 50 in which the end portion 53 on the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t side and the end portion on the oxidizing gas supply hole 34i side are cut obliquely is shown. On the other hand, the gas flow path forming member is formed by cutting one end of the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t side or the oxidizing gas supply hole 34i side obliquely with respect to the extending direction of the gas flow path forming element. May be. Further, when any one end is obliquely cut with respect to the extending direction of the gas flow path forming element, the end on the oxidizing gas discharge hole 34t side is obliquely cut and formed. Also good. By carrying out like this, discharge | emission of produced water can be accelerated | stimulated and gas can be flowed more favorably.

B4. Modification 4:
In the above embodiment, the angle formed between the end portion 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 and the X direction is larger than 0 °. On the other hand, the angle formed by the end portion 53 and the X direction may be an angle straddling at least one gas flow path forming element 51. In this way, the amplitude of the wave at the end 53 can be made more nonuniform. Specifically, when the width of the gas flow path forming member 50 in the direction parallel to the X direction is Wx and the width (pitch) of the gas flow path forming element 51 in the direction parallel to the Y direction is Wy, the gas The angle θ formed between the end portion 53 of the flow path forming member 50 and the X direction may satisfy tan θ ≧ Wy / Wx. For example, when the width Wx is about 239.34 mm and the pitch Wy is about 0.55 mm, the angle θ between the end portion 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 and the X direction is 0.13 ° or more. What should be done. By carrying out like this, gas can be flowed more favorably. Further, if the end portion 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 has an angle that spans an integral multiple of the width (pitch) in the Y direction of the gas flow path forming element 51, the amplitude of the wave at the end portion 53 becomes even more uneven. can do. Specifically, the angle θ formed by the end 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 and the X direction may satisfy tan θ = nWy / Wx (n is an integer of 1 or more). For example, when the width Wx is about 239.34 mm and the pitch Wy is about 0.55 mm, the angle θ formed by the end 53 of the gas flow path forming member 50 and the X direction is 0.13 ° ( n = 1). By carrying out like this, gas can be flowed favorably by a gas flow direction (Y direction).

B5. Modification 5:
The gas flow path forming member 50 described above is a parallelogram whose sum of opposite angles is not 180 °. On the other hand, the gas flow path forming member 50 may be rectangular or trapezoidal as long as the end 53 is formed by being obliquely cut with respect to the direction in which the gas flow path forming element 51 extends. Good. In addition, if at least a part of the end portion 53 in the Y direction of the gas flow path forming member 50 is cut obliquely with respect to the extending direction (X direction) of the gas flow path forming element 51, the boundary Compared with the case where the end is cut in parallel to the X direction at a position other than the above, the gas flow can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments and the modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e ... cell 11 ... MEGA
20 ... Anode-side separators 22i, 32i, 42i, 72i ... Fuel gas supply holes 22t, 32t, 42t, 72t ... Fuel gas discharge holes 24i, 34i, 44i, 74i ... Oxidation gas supply holes 24t, 34t, 44t, 74t ... Oxidation Gas discharge hole 26i, 36i, 46i, 76i ... Cooling water supply hole 26t, 36t, 46t, 76t ... Cooling water discharge hole 30 ... Cathode side separator 38 ... Seal rubber 40 ... Adhesive seal 48 ... Adhesive rubber 50, 50f, 50g, 50h ... gas flow path forming member 50k ... large gas flow path forming member 50p ... broken line portion 51 ... gas flow path forming element 53, 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d, 53e, 53f, 53g, 53h ... of gas flow path forming member End 60E, 60F ... Terminal plate 65E, 65F ... Insulating plate 70, 70E, 70F ... Command plate 100 ... fuel cell 200 ... cutter 210 ... punch 213 ... cutting plane 220 ... die

Claims (4)

A gas flow path forming member disposed in the fuel cell for flowing gas in a first direction along the electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell;
A plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
Each gas flow path forming element has a wavy cross section along the second direction,
Each gas flow path forming element is connected in the first direction so that the phase of the corrugated cross section between the adjacent gas flow path forming elements is different .
At least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end of the gas flow path forming member in the first direction is a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. Formed obliquely to the second direction,
Gas flow path forming member. The gas flow path forming member according to claim 1,
The end portion is a gas flow path forming member that is an end portion on the side from which the oxidizing gas is discharged from the fuel cell. A method of manufacturing a gas flow path forming member that is disposed in a fuel cell and allows a gas to flow in a first direction along an electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell,
A plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
Each gas flow path forming element has a wavy cross section along the second direction,
Wherein each of the gas passage forming element, wherein the corrugated cross section of the gas passage formed between elements phase adjacent is connected to the differently first direction, a step of preparing a gas flow path forming member,
The prepared gas flow path forming member is given a predetermined shape by applying stress from a third direction which is a direction orthogonal to a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction by a cutting machine. And a step of cutting
In the cutting step, at least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end of the gas flow path forming member in the first direction is inclined with respect to the second direction in the plane. Disconnect,
A method for producing a gas flow path forming member. A fuel cell in which a plurality of cells are stacked,
The cell includes a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, a separator disposed to face the membrane electrode assembly, a membrane electrode assembly and the separator, and a cell along the electrolyte membrane. A gas flow path forming member for flowing gas in the direction of 1,
The gas flow path forming member is:
A plurality of gas flow path forming elements extending in parallel with a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
Each gas flow path forming element has a wavy cross section along the second direction,
Each gas flow path forming element is connected in the first direction so that the phase of the corrugated cross section between the adjacent gas flow path forming elements is different .
At least a part of the gas flow path forming element located at an end of the gas flow path forming member in the first direction is a plane formed by the first direction and the second direction. A fuel cell formed by cutting obliquely with respect to the second direction.