Fuel battery cell

Abstract

To provide a fuel battery cell capable of uniformly supplying a reaction gas to an entire power generation part.SOLUTION: A fuel battery cell 12 includes: a power generation part 15; and a pair of separators 17 sandwiching the power generation part 15. A gas flow path 27 through which a reaction gas flows is provided on a facing surface 26 of the separator 17 facing the power generation part 15. The gas flow path 27 includes: a mesh-like part 29 formed in a mesh-like shape in a region corresponding to the power generation part 15 on the facing surface 26; an inflow part 30 provided at a first end part 32 of the mesh-like part 29 and allowing the reaction gas to flow into the mesh-like part 29; an outflow part 31 provided at a second end part 33 of the mesh-like part 29 and allowing the reaction gas to flow out of the mesh-like part 29; and a suppression flow path 34 which constitutes a part of the mesh-like part 29 and is configured to have a larger pressure loss when the reaction gas flows than other portions of the mesh-like part 29. The suppression flow path 34 is disposed so as to connect the inflow part 30 and the outflow part 31 at a shortest distance in the mesh-like part 29.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a known fuel cell is shown in, for example, Patent Document 1. Such a fuel cell has a configuration in which a power generation section supported by a frame member is sandwiched between a pair of separators. Each separator has a groove flow path formed therein for supplying reactant gas to the power generation section. The groove flow path of each separator extends in a wave-like pattern and has a plurality of branch flow paths and a junction where the branch flow paths converge from the upstream side to the downstream side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-182065 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the fuel cell described above, the groove flow paths of each separator are configured as described above, but there is still room for improvement in terms of supplying the reactant gases uniformly to the entire power generation section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. The fuel cell that solves the above problem is a fuel cell comprising a power generation section including a membrane electrode assembly and a pair of separators sandwiching the power generation section, wherein a gas flow path through which a reactant gas flows is provided on an opposing surface of the separator that faces the power generation section, and the gas flow path has: a mesh-like portion formed in a region of the opposing surface that corresponds to the power generation section; an inlet portion that is provided at a first end of the mesh portion in one direction and causes the reactant gas to flow into the mesh portion; an outlet portion that is provided at a second end of the mesh portion opposite the first end in the one direction and causes the reactant gas to flow out of the mesh portion; and a suppression flow path that forms part of the mesh portion and is configured to cause a larger pressure loss when the reactant gas flows than in other parts of the mesh portion, and the suppression flow path is arranged in the mesh portion so as to connect the inlet portion and the outlet portion by the shortest distance.

[0006] Typically, in a mesh portion of a gas flow path, the reactant gas tends to flow primarily from the inlet portion to the outlet portion via the shortest route, resulting in a biased flow of the reactant gas. This makes it difficult to ensure a uniform flow of the reactant gas throughout the entire mesh portion. In this regard, with the above-described configuration, the restriction flow path, which experiences greater pressure loss when the reactant gas flows than in other parts of the mesh portion, is arranged in the mesh portion to connect the inlet portion and the outlet portion via the shortest distance. This eliminates biased flow of the reactant gas in the mesh portion of the gas flow path, allowing the reactant gas to flow uniformly throughout the entire mesh portion. This allows the reactant gas to be supplied uniformly throughout the power generation section.

[0007] The fuel cell that solves the above problem is a fuel cell comprising a power generation section including a membrane electrode assembly and a pair of separators sandwiching the power generation section, wherein a gas flow path through which a reactant gas flows is provided on an opposing surface of the separator that faces the power generation section, and the gas flow path has: a mesh-like portion formed in a region of the opposing surface that corresponds to the power generation section; an inlet portion that is provided at a first end of the mesh portion in one direction and causes the reactant gas to flow into the mesh portion; an outlet portion that is provided at a second end of the mesh portion opposite the first end in the one direction and causes the reactant gas to flow out of the mesh portion; and a suppression flow path that forms part of the mesh portion and is configured to cause a larger pressure loss when the reactant gas flows than in other parts of the mesh portion, and the suppression flow path is arranged so as to separate the inlet portion and the outlet portion in the mesh portion.

[0008] Typically, in a mesh portion of a gas flow path, the reactant gas primarily flows from the inlet portion to the outlet portion via the shortest route, resulting in a biased flow of the reactant gas. This makes it difficult to ensure a uniform flow of the reactant gas throughout the entire mesh portion. In this regard, with the above-described configuration, the restriction flow path, which experiences a greater pressure loss during the flow of the reactant gas than other portions of the mesh portion, is arranged in the mesh portion to separate the inlet portion and the outlet portion. Therefore, the reactant gas that flows into the mesh portion from the inlet portion flows through the entire portion of the mesh portion closer to the inlet portion than the restriction flow path, then flows through the restriction flow path and the entire portion of the mesh portion closer to the outlet portion than the restriction flow path, before flowing out of the mesh portion to the outlet portion. This eliminates biased flow of the reactant gas in the mesh portion of the gas flow path, allowing the reactant gas to flow uniformly throughout the entire mesh portion. This allows the reactant gas to be supplied uniformly throughout the entire power generation unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a fuel cell stack according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the fuel cell of FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the gas flow paths of the separator of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the angle of the ribs. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between gas flow channels of a pair of separators. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a gas flow path of a separator according to a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a gas flow path of a separator according to another modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing gas flow paths of a separator according to still another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. <Fuel cell stack 11> As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell stack 11 is formed by stacking a plurality of plate-shaped fuel cells 12.

[0011] <Fuel cell 12> 2, the fuel cell 12 has, for example, a rectangular plate shape. That is, the fuel cell 12 has a pair of long sides 13 extending parallel to each other and a pair of short sides 14 perpendicular to the long sides 13 and extending parallel to each other.

[0012] In the following description, the stacking direction Z, which coincides with the thickness direction of the fuel cell 12, will be simply referred to as the stacking direction Z. The direction in which the long sides 13 extend will be referred to as the X-axis direction, and the direction in which the short sides 14 extend will be referred to as the Y-axis direction. The stacking direction Z, the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0013] The fuel cell 12 has a fuel gas supply manifold M1 that supplies fuel gas to the inside of the fuel cell 12 and a fuel gas discharge manifold M2 that discharges the fuel gas to the outside of the fuel cell 12. The fuel cell 12 has an oxidant gas supply manifold M3 that supplies oxidant gas to the inside of the fuel cell 12 and an oxidant gas discharge manifold M4 that discharges the oxidant gas to the outside of the fuel cell 12.

[0014] 1 and 2, the fuel cell 12 has a coolant supply manifold M5 that supplies a coolant to the inside of the fuel cell stack 11, and a coolant discharge manifold M6 that discharges the coolant to the outside of the fuel cell stack 11. The manifolds M1 to M6 are, for example, rectangular in shape.

[0015] 2, the fuel gas supply manifold M1, the coolant supply manifold M5, and the oxidant gas discharge manifold M4 are located at one end of the fuel cell 12 in the X-axis direction, and are arranged in this order from one side to the other in the Y-axis direction. The fuel gas discharge manifold M2, the coolant discharge manifold M6, and the oxidant gas supply manifold M3 are located at the other end of the fuel cell 12 opposite to the one side in the X-axis direction, and are arranged in this order from the other side to the one side in the Y-axis direction. The fuel gas is, for example, hydrogen. The oxidant gas is, for example, air. The coolant is, for example, water.

[0016] The fuel cell 12 includes a power generation section 15, a frame 16, and a pair of separators 17. The power generation section 15 is sheet-shaped. The frame 16 surrounds the outer periphery of the power generation section 15. The pair of separators 17 sandwich the power generation section 15 and frame 16 from both sides in the stacking direction Z. The power generation section 15 and separators 17 are, for example, rectangular in plan view. The frame 16 is, for example, rectangular frame-shaped in plan view.

[0017] <Power Generation Unit 15> As shown in Fig. 1, the power generation section 15 includes a membrane electrode assembly 18, and an anode-side gas diffusion layer 19 and a cathode-side gas diffusion layer 20 that sandwich the membrane electrode assembly 18. Although not shown, the membrane electrode assembly 18 includes an electrolyte membrane, and an anode electrode catalyst layer and a cathode electrode catalyst layer that sandwich the electrolyte membrane. The anode-side gas diffusion layer 19 is laminated on the anode electrode catalyst layer. The cathode-side gas diffusion layer 20 is laminated on the cathode electrode catalyst layer.

[0018] 1 and 2, fuel gas is supplied to the anode side surface of the power generation unit 15 through a fuel gas supply manifold M1. Oxidant gas is supplied to the cathode side surface of the power generation unit 15 through an oxidant gas supply manifold M3. As a result, power is generated in the power generation unit 15 by an electrochemical reaction between the fuel gas and the oxidant gas.

[0019] In the fuel cell stack 11, each fuel cell 12 generates heat as the power generation section 15 generates power. For this reason, a cooling flow path 21, which will be described later, is formed inside the fuel cell stack 11. A cooling medium is supplied to the cooling flow path 21 through a refrigerant supply manifold M5.

[0020] <Frame 16> 2, frame 16 is made of an insulating resin material. Frame 16 has a housing hole 22 in the center that houses power generation unit 15. Frame 16 has through holes hf1 to hf6 that form manifolds M1 to M6 on the outer periphery of housing hole 22.

[0021] <Separator 17> 1 and 2, the separator 17 is formed by press-forming a metal plate such as stainless steel or titanium alloy. One of the pair of separators 17 is disposed on the anode side of the power generation unit 15, and the other is disposed on the cathode side of the power generation unit 15.

[0022] In the following description, the separator 17 placed on the anode side of the power generation section 15 may be referred to as an anode separator 24, and the separator 17 placed on the cathode side of the power generation section 15 may be referred to as a cathode separator 25.

[0023] The anode separator 24 and the cathode separator 25 have the same configuration. The anode separator 24 and the cathode separator 25 are disposed in positions that are inverted relative to the power generation section 15, with an imaginary axis V as the axis of inversion. The imaginary axis V passes through the center of the separator 17 in the X-axis direction and extends in the Y-axis direction.

[0024] Separator 17 has through holes hs1 to hs6 that form manifolds M1 to M6. As described above, anode separator 24 and cathode separator 25 are disposed in an inverted position relative to power generation section 15. Therefore, through hole hs1 of anode separator 24 and through hole hs3 of cathode separator 25 communicate with each other, and through hole hs2 of anode separator 24 and through hole hs4 of cathode separator 25 communicate with each other.

[0025] The through hole hs3 of the anode separator 24 and the through hole hs1 of the cathode separator 25 are in communication with each other, and the through hole hs4 of the anode separator 24 and the through hole hs2 of the cathode separator 25 are in communication with each other. The through hole hs5 of the anode separator 24 and the through hole hs6 of the cathode separator 25 are in communication with each other, and the through hole hs6 of the anode separator 24 and the through hole hs5 of the cathode separator 25 are in communication with each other.

[0026] 2 and 3, the opposing surface 26 of the separator 17 facing the power generation section 15 is provided with groove-shaped gas flow paths 27 through which the reactant gas flows, and ribs 28 adjacent to the gas flow paths 27. The gas flow paths 27 have a mesh-like section 29, an inlet section 30 through which the reactant gas flows into the mesh section 29, and an outlet section 31 through which the reactant gas flows out of the mesh section 29.

[0027] The mesh portion 29 of the gas flow path 27 is formed over the entire area of the opposing surface 26 that is rectangular in plan view and corresponds to the power generation section 15. That is, the mesh portion 29 as a whole has a rectangular shape that corresponds to the power generation section 15. The mesh of the mesh portion 29 is formed by the ribs 28. Therefore, in the mesh portion 29, the gas flow path 27 extends so as to surround the ribs 28. The ribs 28 have a hexagonal shape, which is an example of a polygonal shape.

[0028] 2, 4, and 5, the ribs 28 extend at an angle with respect to the long sides 13 of the separator 17. The angle A formed by the extension direction of the ribs 28 and the extension direction of the long sides 13 is set to, for example, 45°. Therefore, when the fuel cell 12 is viewed from the stacking direction Z, the mesh portion 29 and ribs 28 of the gas flow passage 27 of the anode separator 24 intersect with the mesh portion 29 and ribs 28 of the gas flow passage 27 of the cathode separator 25. In FIG. 5, the gas flow passage 27 of the anode separator 24 is indicated by a solid line, and the gas flow passage 27 of the cathode separator 25 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0029] 2 and 3, an inlet section 30 for allowing a reactant gas to flow into the reticle section 29 is provided at a first end section 32 in the X-axis direction of the reticle section 29. An outlet section 31 for allowing a reactant gas to flow out of the reticle section 29 is provided at a second end section 33 opposite to the first end section 32 in the X-axis direction of the reticle section 29. The inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31 are formed, for example, by a plurality of grooves (three in this example) that extend linearly in the X-axis direction and are arranged at equal intervals in the Y-axis direction.

[0030] The inlet section 30 is provided at one end in the Y-axis direction at a first end 32 of the mesh portion 29 in the X-axis direction, and the outlet section 31 is provided at the other end in the Y-axis direction at a second end 33 of the mesh portion 29 in the X-axis direction. That is, the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31 provided in the mesh portion 29 are located at opposite ends in the Y-axis direction. The X-axis direction is an example of "one direction." The inlet section 30 connects the through hole hs1 and the mesh portion 29. The outlet section 31 connects the through hole hs2 and the mesh portion 29.

[0031] A portion of the mesh section 29 is formed by a suppression flow path 34. The suppression flow path 34 is configured so that the pressure loss when the reactant gas flows is greater than in other portions of the mesh section 29. The mesh section 29 has the suppression flow path 34 and a general flow path 35 other than the suppression flow path 34 in the mesh section 29. The suppression flow path 34 has a narrower flow path width than the general flow path 35. Therefore, the pressure loss when the reactant gas flows is greater in the suppression flow path 34 than in the general flow path 35.

[0032] The flow path width of the restriction flow path 34 is set to, for example, about half the flow path width of the general flow path 35. The restriction flow path 34 is arranged so as to connect the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31 in the mesh section 29 over the shortest distance. In other words, the restriction flow path 34 is arranged in an area (an area surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 3 ) along a straight line connecting the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31.

[0033] 2 and 3, a fuel gas flows as a reactant gas through the gas flow channel 27 of the anode separator 24. An oxidant gas flows as a reactant gas through the gas flow channel 27 of the cathode separator 25. The reactant gas flows through the gas flow channel 27 and is supplied to the power generation unit 15.

[0034] <Cooling channel 21> As shown in Figure 1, in the fuel cell stack 11, of two adjacent fuel cell cells 12 in the stacking direction Z, the anode separator 24 constituting one fuel cell cell 12 and the cathode separator 25 constituting the other fuel cell 12 are in contact with each other.

[0035] A cooling flow path 21 through which a cooling medium flows is formed between the anode separator 24 and the cathode separator 25 that contact each other in two adjacent fuel cell units 12 in the stacking direction Z. Although not shown in the figure, a gasket that seals the space between the two fuel cell units 12 is provided between the anode separator 24 and the cathode separator 25 that contact each other.

[0036] 1 and 2, the separator 17 has a plurality of cooling grooves 36 that constitute the cooling flow paths 21. The cooling grooves 36 are formed on the surface of the separator 17 opposite to the surface on which the gas flow paths 27 are formed. The cooling grooves 36 are formed by the rear surface shape of the ribs 28. The cooling flow paths 21 are formed by the gaps between the cooling grooves 36 of the anode separator 24 and the cooling grooves 36 of the cathode separator 25. The cooling medium supplied from the coolant supply manifold M5 flows through the cooling flow paths 21 and is discharged from the coolant discharge manifold M6.

[0037] <Operation of the embodiment> When generating electricity using the fuel cell 12, the reactant gas is supplied to the gas flow path 27 through the through-hole hs1 of the separator 17 and then discharged from the through-hole hs2. That is, in the gas flow path 27, the reactant gas flows through the inlet section 30, the mesh section 29, and the outlet section 31 in this order. The reactant gas flows through the mesh section 29 of the gas flow path 27 and is thereby supplied to the power generation section 15. In the power generation section 15, electricity is generated by an electrochemical reaction caused by the reactant gas.

[0038] In the mesh section 29 corresponding to the power generation section 15, if there is no restriction flow path 34, the reactant gas will usually try to flow mainly along the shortest route from the inlet section 30 to the outlet section 31, resulting in a biased flow of the reactant gas. This makes it difficult for the reactant gas to reach every corner of the mesh section 29, making it difficult to ensure a uniform flow of the reactant gas throughout the entire mesh section 29.

[0039] In this regard, according to the present embodiment, the restriction flow paths 34, which have a larger pressure loss when the reactant gas flows in the mesh portion 29 than the general flow paths 35, are arranged to connect the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31 over the shortest distance in the mesh portion 29. Therefore, the difference in the amount of reactant gas flowing between the general flow paths 35 and the restriction flow paths 34 in the mesh portion 29 is small.

[0040] Therefore, the reactant gas flows to every corner of the mesh portion 29, eliminating uneven flow of the reactant gas in the mesh portion 29. As a result, the reactant gas flows uniformly throughout the entire mesh portion 29, and the reactant gas is supplied uniformly throughout the power generation section 15. This improves the power generation efficiency of the power generation section 15.

[0041] <Effects of the embodiment> According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved. (1) The fuel cell 12 is arranged so that the restriction flow path 34 connects the inlet portion 30 and the outlet portion 31 in the mesh portion 29 over the shortest distance.

[0042] According to the above configuration, as described above in the operation of the embodiment, the bias in the flow of the reactant gas in the mesh portion 29 of the gas flow channel 27 is eliminated, and the reactant gas can flow uniformly throughout the mesh portion 29. Therefore, the reactant gas can be supplied uniformly throughout the power generation unit 15.

[0043] (2) In the fuel cell 12, the pair of separators 17 have the same configuration. According to the above configuration, the pair of separators 17 can be made of a common part, and therefore the number of parts can be reduced compared to when the pair of separators 17 have different configurations.

[0044] (3) In the fuel cell 12, the separator 17 has a rectangular shape. The mesh of the mesh portion 29 is formed by hexagonal ribs 28. The ribs 28 extend at an angle to the long side 13 of the separator 17.

[0045] According to the above configuration, the mesh portions 29 of the gas flow channels 27 of the pair of separators 17 intersect with each other when viewed from the stacking direction Z in which the pair of separators 17 sandwich the power generation section 15. Therefore, when a plurality of fuel cell units 12 are stacked, it is possible to prevent the irregularities that form the gas flow channels 27 and ribs 28 of the separators 17 of two adjacent fuel cell units 12 in the stacking direction Z from fitting together. This ensures close contact between the opposing surfaces 26 of the separators 17 and the power generation section 15.

[0046] <Example of change> The above embodiment can be modified as follows: Furthermore, the above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 6, the suppression channel 34 may be arranged in the mesh section 29 so as to separate the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31. In this case, the suppression channel 34 extends over the entire mesh section 29 in the Y-axis direction. That is, the suppression channel 34 is arranged in an area (the area surrounded by a dashed line in Fig. 6) along a straight line extending in the Y-axis direction so as to separate the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31.

[0048] In the mesh portion 29, if the suppression flow path 34 is not present, the reactant gas will generally try to flow mainly along the shortest route from the inlet portion 30 to the outlet portion 31, resulting in a biased flow of the reactant gas. This makes it difficult for the reactant gas to flow to every corner of the mesh portion 29, making it difficult to ensure a uniform flow of the reactant gas throughout the entire mesh portion 29.

[0049] In this regard, with this configuration, the restriction channels 34, which have a larger pressure loss when the reactant gas flows than the general channels 35 in the mesh section 29, are arranged in the mesh section 29 to separate the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31. Therefore, the reactant gas that flows into the mesh section 29 from the inlet section 30 flows through the entire portion of the mesh section 29 closer to the inlet section 30 than the restriction channels 34, then flows through the restriction channels 34 and flows through the entire portion of the mesh section 29 closer to the outlet section 31 than the restriction channels 34, and then flows out of the mesh section 29 to the outlet section 31. This eliminates any bias in the flow of the reactant gas in the mesh section 29 of the gas flow channels 27, allowing the reactant gas to flow uniformly throughout the entire mesh section 29. This allows the reactant gas to be supplied uniformly throughout the power generation section 15.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 7, the suppression flow path 34 may be arranged so as to separate the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31 in the mesh section 29. In this case, the suppression flow path 34 extends over the entire mesh section 29 in the X-axis direction. That is, the suppression flow path 34 is arranged in an area (the area surrounded by a dashed line in Fig. 7) along a straight line extending in the X-axis direction so as to separate the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31. Even with this configuration, the same effects as those in Fig. 6 can be obtained.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 8 , the restriction channels 40 may be arranged in the mesh section 29 so as to separate the inlet section 30 and the outlet section 31. In this case, the restriction channels 40 are arranged in a linear region extending along one diagonal of the mesh section 29 (the region surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 8 ). In this case, the restriction channels 40 have the same flow path width as the general flow paths 35, but are configured to form shorter and longer hexagons than the hexagons formed by the general flow paths 35. The short hexagonal channels that form the restriction channels 40 bend more than the hexagonal channels that form the general flow paths 35, resulting in a greater pressure loss when the reactant gas flows through the restriction channels 40 than the general flow paths 35. The long hexagonal channels that form the restriction channels 40 are longer than the hexagonal channels that form the general flow paths 35, resulting in a greater pressure loss when the reactant gas flows through the restriction channels 40 than the general flow paths 35. The restriction channels 40 arranged in a linear region are configured so that, for example, the hexagons in the central portion are shortest and the lengths of the hexagons increase toward both ends. In this case, the pressure loss of the reactant gas flowing through the restriction flow path 40 arranged in the linear region is highest in the center and decreases toward both ends. Even with this configuration, the same effects as those in the case of FIG. 6 can be obtained.

[0052] The shape of the separator 17 is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may be a polygonal shape other than a rectangular shape (for example, a hexagonal shape or an octagonal shape), a circular shape, or an elliptical shape. The shape of the ribs 28 is not limited to a hexagonal shape, but may be a polygonal shape other than a hexagonal shape (for example, a square shape or an octagonal shape), a circle shape, or an ellipse shape.

[0053] The pair of separators 17 in the fuel cell 12 may have different configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 11...Fuel cell stack 12...Fuel cell 13...long side 14...short side 15...Power generation section 16...Frame 17...Separator 18...Membrane electrode assembly 19...Anode side gas diffusion layer 20...Cathode side gas diffusion layer 21...Cooling channel 22...Housing hole 24...Anode separator 25...Cathode separator 26...Opposite surface 27...Gas flow path 28...Rib 29...Reticulum 30...Inflow part 31...Outlet 32...First end 33…Second end 34, 40...Restriction channel 35...General flow path 36…Cooling groove A...Angle hf1~hf6: Through hole hs1~hs6: Through hole M1...Fuel gas supply manifold M2: Fuel gas discharge manifold M3...Oxidant gas supply manifold M4...Oxidant gas discharge manifold M5... Refrigerant supply manifold M6...Refrigerant discharge manifold V: Virtual axis Z…Stacking direction

Claims

1. A fuel cell comprising a power generation section including a membrane electrode assembly and a pair of separators sandwiching the power generation section, a gas flow channel through which a reaction gas flows is provided on a surface of the separator facing the power generation section; The gas flow path is a mesh portion formed in a mesh pattern in a region of the opposing surface corresponding to the power generation portion; an inlet portion provided at a first end portion of the mesh portion in one direction and allowing the reaction gas to flow into the mesh portion; an outlet portion provided at a second end portion of the mesh portion opposite to the first end portion in the one direction, the outlet portion allowing the reaction gas to flow out from the mesh portion; a suppression flow path that constitutes a part of the mesh portion and is configured to cause a larger pressure loss when the reactant gas flows than in other parts of the mesh portion; and The fuel cell is characterized in that the restriction flow path is arranged in the mesh portion so as to connect the inlet portion and the outlet portion over the shortest distance.

2. A fuel cell comprising a power generation section including a membrane electrode assembly and a pair of separators sandwiching the power generation section, a gas flow channel through which a reaction gas flows is provided on a surface of the separator facing the power generation section; The gas flow path is a mesh portion formed in a mesh pattern in a region of the opposing surface corresponding to the power generation portion; an inlet portion provided at a first end portion of the mesh portion in one direction and allowing the reaction gas to flow into the mesh portion; an outlet portion provided at a second end portion of the mesh portion opposite to the first end portion in the one direction, the outlet portion allowing the reaction gas to flow out from the mesh portion; a suppression flow path that constitutes a part of the mesh portion and is configured to cause a larger pressure loss when the reactant gas flows than in other parts of the mesh portion; and The fuel cell is characterized in that the restriction flow path is arranged so as to separate the inflow portion and the outflow portion in the mesh portion.

3. 3. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the pair of separators have the same configuration.

4. The separator has a rectangular shape, The mesh of the mesh portion is formed by polygonal ribs, 4. The fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the ribs extend at an angle relative to the sides of the separator.

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