Separator for fuel cell, method for producing separator, and solid oxide fuel cell

Abstract

Gas discharge ports are provided in almost the entire area of a layer surface of a separator, and a gas for reaction is discharged like a shower from the separator toward a power generation cell. The separator is constructed by layering plate-shaped members containing iron-base alloy, nickel-base alloy, or chrome-base alloy as the base material. Silver, silver alloy, copper, or copper alloy is plated on both sides or one side of the base material of the plate-shaped member. The construction above can increase durability of a separator and enables the separator and a solid oxide fuel cell to be stably used for a long period.

1 . A separator for fuel cell which is arranged in alternate lamination with a power generation cell and has gas discharge ports, for discharging reactive gas, on a layer surface thereof,
 wherein the multiple gas discharge ports are provided on approximately whole area of the layer surface and the reactive gas is made to be discharged like a shower from the gas discharge ports toward the power generation cell.   
     
     
         2 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 1 , comprising a hollow part for receiving the reactive gas, wherein the reactive gas is made to be guided to each of the gas discharge ports via the hollow part. 
     
     
         3 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 2 , comprising a gas inlet for introducing the reactive gas into the hollow part, wherein the gas discharge ports are arranged along multiple virtual lines radially extended from the position of the gas inlet, respectively. 
     
     
         4 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 2 , comprising a gas inlet for introducing the reactive gas into the hollow part, wherein the gas discharge ports are arranged along multiple virtual concentric circles centered at the gas inlet, respectively. 
     
     
         5 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 2 , wherein the gas discharge ports are arranged along multiple virtual lines radially extended from the center part of the layer surface, respectively. 
     
     
         6 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 2 , wherein the gas discharge ports are arranged along multiple virtual concentric circles having a center in the center part of the layer surface, respectively. 
     
     
         7 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 1 , comprising an inner flow passage for guiding the reactive gas, wherein the gas discharge ports are provided along the inner flow passage. 
     
     
         8 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 7 , wherein the hole diameter of the gas discharge ports is set to become large from the upstream side toward the downstream side of the inner flow passage. 
     
     
         9 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 2 , wherein the wall surface of the hollow part is subjected to an aluminum diffusion coating treatment for making aluminum diffused and penetrated. 
     
     
         13 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 7 , wherein the wall surface of the inner flow passage is subjected to an aluminum diffusion coating treatment for making aluminum diffused and penetrated. 
     
     
         14 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 1 , comprising a structure formed by laminating multiple plate-shaped members including a plate-shaped member provided with a groove hole, in which the plate-shaped members are laminated to cover the opening of the groove hole and thereby an inner flow passage or a hollow part for guiding the reactive gas is formed, and
 in which an iron based alloy, a nickel based alloy or a chromium based alloy is used as a base material of the plate-shaped member, and one or both surfaces of the base material are plated with silver, a silver alloy, copper or a copper alloy.   
     
     
         15 . A separator for a fuel cell which is arranged in alternate lamination with a power generation cell and has gas discharge ports, for discharging reactive gas, on a layer surface thereof,
 wherein the multiple gas discharge ports are provided on approximately the whole area of the layer surface and the reactive gas is made to be discharged like a shower from the gas discharge ports toward the power generation cell, a structure is formed by laminating multiple plate-shaped members including a plate-shaped member provided with a groove hole, in which the plate-shaped members are laminated to cover the opening of the groove hole and thereby an inner flow passage or a hollow part for guiding the reactive gas is formed, and   in which an iron based alloy, a nickel based alloy or a chromium based alloy is used as a base material of the plate-shaped member,   wherein the wall surface of the inner flow passage or the hollow part includes an aluminum diffusion coating treatment which enables aluminum to be dispersed and to penetrate through the surface of the base material.   
     
     
         16 . A solid oxide fuel cell, which has a fuel cell stack formed by alternately laminating power generation cells and separators and which supplies reactive gas to each of the power generation cells to generate power generation reaction,
 wherein the separator comprises the multiple gas discharge ports which are provided on approximately whole area of a layer surface thereof, and is constituted to discharge the reactive gas like a shower from the gas discharge ports toward the power generation cell.   
     
     
         17 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the discharge ports include a plurality of first discharge ports and a plurality of second discharge ports, the diameter of each of the first discharge ports being smaller than the diameter of each of the second discharge ports.   
     
     
         24 . The separator for fuel cell according to  claim 23 , wherein
 the discharge ports include a plurality of third discharge ports, the diameter of each of the third discharge ports being larger than the diameter of each of the second discharge ports.