Fuel cell and power generating method

Abstract

A fuel cell which discharges a small amount of a hydrogen gas, hardly causes a problem of waste gas treatment and gas release, and can perform power generation stably, continuously and effectively, and a power generating method using the same are provided. In a fuel cell comprising one or a plurality of unit cells UC formed of a sheet-like solid polymer electrolyte (1), its cathode-side electrode plate (2), an anode-side electrode plate (3), an oxygen-containing gas supply unit for supplying an oxygen-containing gas to the cathode-side electrode plate (2), and a hydrogen gas flow path unit for supplying a hydrogen gas to the anode-side electrode plate (3), regarding the unit cell UC which is to be a final stage of hydrogen gas supply, a flow path sectional area of the hydrogen gas flow path unit is not more than 1% of an area of the anode-side electrode plate (3) and, at the same time, a discharge control mechanism (10) for discharging a gas at 0.02 to 4% by volume relative to a hydrogen gas supplied to the unit cell UC is provided at an outlet of the hydrogen gas flow path unit.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell and a method of generating electricity by supplying hydrogen and oxygen-containing gas to unit cells (including natural supply), and is particularly useful for portable devices. In addition, the present invention relates to a battery drive system for portable devices for supplying power to portable electronic devices such as mobile personal computers and PDAs using a fuel cell. A battery drive system for portable equipment in which fuel is supplied to a fuel cell. Background technique [0002] Polymer fuel cells using solid polymer electrolytes such as polymer electrolytes are actively being developed for home cogeneration systems and automobiles because they have high energy conversion efficiency, are thin, small, and lightweight. As the structure of the prior art of this fuel cell, there is known Figure 17 The structure shown (for example, refer to Non-Patent Document 1). [0003] That is, if Figure 17...

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Problems solved by technology

[0014] However, since there is generally a time delay in the generation of fuel gas due to the reaction relative to the supply of the reaction solution, in the case of this system, even if the movement of the reaction solution is stopped, the internal pressure of the gas storage part continues to increase. There are many cases of rising

In this way, especially in the case of portable equipment, since the fuel cell has low pressure resistance, there may be a problem of battery damage.

In addition, since the gas is not discharged from the anode side of the fuel cell in the above-mentioned system, the impurity gas is concentrated on the anode side, resulting in a structure that tends to lower the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell.

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