US 7,507,487 B2
Solid polymer fuel cell with reactant air humidified by a processed water tank
Osamu Tajima, Gunma (Japan); and Akira Hamada, Tochigi (Japan)
Assigned to Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Osaka (Japan)
Appl. No. 10/221,162
PCT Filed Mar. 23, 2001, PCT No. PCT/JP01/02323
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Sep. 18, 2002,
PCT Pub. No. WO01/71837, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 27, 2001.
Claims priority of application No. 2000-081445 (JP), filed on Mar. 23, 2000; and application No. 2000-103382 (JP), filed on Apr. 05, 2000.
Prior Publication US 2003/0129470 A1, Jul. 10, 2003
Int. Cl. H01M 8/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 429—12  [429/26; 429/39] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A solid polymer type fuel cell comprising:
a fuel-cell main body for performing power generation through the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen in reformed gas and oxygen in reactant air;
a reactant air supply portion for supplying the reactant air to the fuel-cell main body;
a reformed gas supply portion for supplying the reformed gas to said fuel-cell main body; and
a processed water supply portion comprising a processed water tank for stocking processed water and for supplying processed water, wherein said processed water tank
supplies the processed water to said reformed gas supply portion to humidify the reformed gas,
humidifies the reactant air supplied from said reactant air supply portion by using the processed water, and
supplies the humidified reactant air to said fuel-cell main body,
wherein said water supply portion comprises water processing means for subjecting water to predetermined processing and supplying the processed water to the processed water tank, and
wherein said water supply portion further comprises a liquid level control portion for keeping the water level of processed water in a predetermined range so that a gas-phase portion is formed in said water tank at all times, the reactant air from said reactant air supply portion being humidified while passing through said water tank and supplied to said fuel-cell main body.