humidifier

Abstract

Provided is a humidifier the size of which can be reduced. This humidifier comprises: a stacked separator in which a dry gas inflow space into which a dry gas flows, and a humidified gas outflow space from which a humidified gas obtained by humidifying the dry gas is discharged, are formed, and the stacked separator causing the dry gas to pass therethrough and thus to be humidified; and a connection flow passage which causes the humidified gas from the humidified gas outflow space to flow into a fuel cell, wherein when viewed in the stacking direction of the separator, the connection flow passage includes a region overlapping the separator.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to humidifiers. [Background technology]

[0002] As a humidifier that humidifies intake air and supplies it to a fuel cell, Patent Document 1 describes a humidifier device that includes an intake control valve and a humidifying unit housed in a housing. The intake control valve includes a main pipe that has an intake port that draws in outside air as cathode gas and a supply port that supplies the humidified cathode gas to the fuel cell, and the main pipe is connected to a branch pipe that sends the cathode gas from the main pipe to the humidifying unit and a confluence pipe that joins the main pipe and sends the cathode gas to the supply port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-125853 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the humidifier described in Patent Document 1, the intake control valve is fixed to the outer surface of the housing of the humidifier, the branch pipe is welded to the outer surface of the housing, and the junction pipe is connected between the housing and the main pipe by welding. In other words, the junction pipe and the branch pipe protrude outward from the housing that houses the humidifying unit. This results in a problem of the humidifier becoming larger in size.

[0005] For these reasons, it is desirable to reduce the size of humidifiers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A characteristic configuration of a humidifier according to the present disclosure includes stacked separators that form a dry gas inflow space into which dry gas flows and a humidified gas outflow space from which humidified gas obtained by humidifying the dry gas is discharged, and the humidifier includes: stacked separators that pass the dry gas to humidify it; and a connecting flow path that distributes the humidified gas from the humidified gas outflow space to a fuel cell; The connecting flow path is When the separator is viewed from the stacking direction ,before Including the area overlapping with the separator The separator has a curved portion that curves toward the center of the separator, and the humidified gas is guided from the humidified gas outflow space to the curved portion and circulated to the fuel cell. It's at the point.

[0007] According to this characteristic configuration, when viewed along the stacking direction of the separators, the connecting flow path includes an area where it overlaps with the separators, so that the separators are prevented from protruding outward, thereby enabling the humidifier to be made smaller.

[0009] In this way, the curved portion of the connecting flow path is curved toward the center of the separator, so that the curved portion is positioned inside the silhouette of the separator. In other words, the curved portion does not protrude beyond the separator. This allows the humidifier to be made smaller.

[0010] As another configuration, the fuel cell may further include a bypass flow path that allows the dry gas to flow to the fuel cell without passing through the dry gas inlet space, and the connecting flow path may further include a connection portion that is connected to the bypass flow path upstream of the downstream end of the bypass flow path.

[0011] This allows the humidified gas flowing through the connecting flow path and the dry gas flowing through the bypass flow path to share a common flow path, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the humidifier.

[0012] Alternatively, the connecting portion may be connected to the bypass flow path at an acute angle.

[0013] This can reduce the pressure loss of the humidified gas flowing from the connecting flow path to the bypass flow path.

[0014] In another configuration, one side of the stacked separators may be covered with a cover portion, the cover portion having a first cover body and a second cover body that covers the first cover body, and the connecting flow path may be provided in at least one of the first cover body and the second cover body.

[0015] This allows for greater freedom in the location of the connecting flow path, making it possible to reduce the size of the humidifier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the humidifier shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a view of the humidifier shown in FIG. 3 as seen from the opposite side. [Figure 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a humidifying unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] [Basic configuration] First, an overview of the fuel cell system A will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the fuel cell system A includes a fuel cell FC mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and a humidifier 10 that humidifies dry gas supplied from the outside and supplies the humidified gas to the fuel cell FC. Although not shown, the fuel cell system A also includes a hydrogen supply unit that supplies fuel gas (hydrogen gas) to be supplied to the fuel cell FC.

[0019] In the fuel cell FC, hydrogen gas from a hydrogen supply unit is supplied to the anodes of a plurality of fuel cell cells (not shown), and dry gas from an external source is supplied to the cathodes of the plurality of fuel cell cells. The fuel cell FC generates electricity by reacting the hydrogen gas with the dry gas, and discharges a water-containing gas that contains moisture as a result of the reaction.

[0020] The humidifier 10 humidifies the dry gas (hereinafter referred to as cathode gas G1) supplied to the fuel cell FC. More specifically, the humidifier 10 receives a water-containing gas (hereinafter referred to as cathode off-gas G2) that contains moisture after a reaction and is discharged from the fuel cell FC, removes moisture from the introduced cathode off-gas G2, and provides the removed moisture to the cathode gas G1, thereby humidifying the cathode gas G1.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the humidifier 10 includes a first gas supply flow path 1 through which cathode gas G1 supplied from the outside flows, a first control valve V1 that switches the flow direction of the cathode gas G1 and controls the flow rate, a second gas supply flow path 2 downstream of the first control valve V1 through which the cathode gas G1 flows toward the humidifier unit 4, a bypass flow path 3 downstream of the first control valve V1 that supplies the cathode gas G1 directly to the fuel cell FC without passing through the humidifier unit 4, a humidifier unit 4 that humidifies the cathode gas G1 supplied from the second gas supply flow path 2, and a connecting flow path 5 through which the cathode gas G1 (an example of a humidified gas) flows after being humidified by the humidifier unit 4.

[0022] The humidifier 10 also includes an inlet flow path 6 that introduces the cathode off-gas G2 discharged from the fuel cell FC into the humidifying section 4, a first outlet flow path 7 through which the cathode off-gas G2 flows after moisture has been removed in the humidifying section 4, a second control valve V2 that controls the flow rate of the cathode off-gas G2, and a second outlet flow path 8 that discharges the cathode off-gas G2 to the outside.

[0023] In the following, the flow direction of the cathode gas G1 flowing through each of the first gas supply flow path 1, the first control valve V1, the second gas supply flow path 2, the bypass flow path 3, and the connecting flow path 5 will be referred to as a "first flow direction D1," and the flow direction of the cathode offgas G2 flowing through each of the inlet flow path 6, the first discharge flow path 7, the second control valve V2, and the second discharge flow path 8 will be referred to as a "second flow direction D2." Also, the arrow D1 shown in Figures 2 to 4 indicates the flow direction of the cathode gas G1, and the arrow D2 indicates the flow direction of the cathode offgas G2.

[0024] The first gas supply flow path 1 has an upstream end connected to a gas supply port P1 and a downstream end connected to a first control valve V1. A cathode gas G1 is supplied from the outside via the gas supply port P1 and flows through the first gas supply flow path 1. The cathode gas G1 is supplied by, for example, an external compressor C.

[0025] The first control valve V1 is connected to the downstream end of the first gas supply channel 1, the upstream end of the second gas supply channel 2, and the upstream end of the bypass channel 3. The first control valve V1 switches the supply destination of the cathode gas G1 supplied from the first gas supply channel 1 between the second gas supply channel 2 and the bypass channel 3. Hereinafter, the state of the first control valve V1 when the supply destination of the cathode gas G1 is the second gas supply channel 2 will be referred to as a first state, and the state of the first control valve V1 when the supply destination of the cathode gas G1 is the bypass channel 3 will be referred to as a second state. Note that the first control valve V1 can also block the cathode gas G1 supplied from the first gas supply channel 1 from being supplied to either the second gas supply channel 2 or the bypass channel 3.

[0026] The second gas supply flow path 2 has an upstream end connected to the first control valve V1 and a downstream end connected to the humidifier 4. When the first control valve V1 is in the first state, the cathode gas G1 is supplied from the first control valve V1 to the second gas supply flow path 2 and flows therethrough.

[0027] The bypass flow path 3 has an upstream end connected to the first control valve V1 and a downstream end connected to a supply port of the fuel cell FC. When the first control valve V1 is in the second state, cathode gas G1 supplied from the outside via the first control valve V1 is supplied to and circulates through the bypass flow path 3. The orientation of the humidifier 10 is not particularly limited, but in the following description, in FIG. 2 , the side on which the bypass flow path 3 is provided is referred to as the upper side U of the humidifier 10, the opposite side is referred to as the lower side D, the side on which the gas supply port P1 is provided is referred to as the right side R of the humidifier 10, the opposite side is referred to as the left side L, and directions perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction are referred to as the front side F and the rear side B.

[0028] The humidifying unit 4 is supplied with cathode gas G1 from the outside via the first gas supply passage 1, the first control valve V1, and the second gas supply passage 2. The humidifying unit 4 humidifies the cathode gas G1 supplied from the outside by passing it through.

[0029] The connection flow path 5 has an upstream end connected to the humidifier 4 and a downstream end connected to the bypass flow path 3. The connection flow path 5 allows the cathode gas G1, which has been humidified by the humidifier 4, to flow out from the humidifier 4 and supply it to the bypass flow path 3.

[0030] The upstream end of the introduction flow path 6 is connected to the fuel cell FC, and the downstream end is connected to the humidifying unit 4. Cathode off-gas G2 containing moisture discharged from the fuel cell FC flows through the introduction flow path 6. The introduction flow path 6 introduces the cathode off-gas G2 into the humidifying unit 4.

[0031] The first discharge flow path 7 has an upstream end connected to the humidifier 4 and a downstream end connected to the second control valve V2. The cathode off-gas G2 discharged from the humidifier 4 flows through the first discharge flow path 7. Note that moisture has been removed from the cathode off-gas G2 flowing through the first discharge flow path 7 in the humidifier 4.

[0032] The second control valve V2 is connected to the downstream end of the first discharge flow path 7 and the upstream end of the second discharge flow path 8. The second control valve V2 controls the flow rate of the cathode off-gas G2 flowing through the second discharge flow path 8.

[0033] The second discharge flow path 8 has an upstream end connected to the second control valve V2 and a downstream end connected to the discharge port P2. The cathode off-gas G2 flowing through the second discharge flow path 8 is discharged to the outside via the discharge port P2. That is, after moisture is removed from the cathode off-gas G2 discharged from the fuel cell FC in the humidifying unit 4, the cathode off-gas G2 passes through the first discharge flow path 7, the second control valve V2, and the second discharge flow path 8, and is then discharged to the outside via the discharge port P2.

[0034] [Humidification section] Next, the configuration of the humidifier 4 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 and 6. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the humidifier 4 has a plurality of separators 41 and two humidifier plate 42 that sandwich the plurality of separators 41. The plurality of separators 41 are stacked in the front-rear direction.

[0035] Each of the plurality of separators 41 includes a moisture supplying section (not shown) that supplies moisture to the cathode gas G1, and a moisture removing section (not shown) that removes moisture from the cathode off-gas G2.

[0036] The separator 41 is a rectangular plate-shaped resin with a water supply section on one side and a water removal section on the other side, and a water exchange membrane is provided at the boundary between the water supply section and the water removal section.

[0037] The two humidifier section plates 42 include a first humidifier section plate 421 provided at the end of one side (front side F) in the stacking direction of the separator 41, and a second humidifier section plate 422 provided on the other side (rear side B).

[0038] The first humidifying section plate 421 and the second humidifying plate 222 are fixed to each other by, for example, a fastening member, with the plurality of separators 41 sandwiched between them.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 6, the humidifying unit 4 further has four gas inlet spaces 43 that penetrate in the front-rear direction through the first humidifying unit plate 421 and the plurality of separators 41. As shown in Fig. 3, the four gas inlet spaces 43 are provided at positions that overlap with a projected image of the humidifying unit 4 when viewed along the front-rear direction.

[0040] The four gas inlet spaces 43 include a cathode gas inlet space 431 (an example of a dry gas inlet space), a cathode gas outlet space 432 (an example of a humidified gas outlet space), a cathode off-gas inlet space 433, and a cathode off-gas outlet space 434.

[0041] The cathode gas inlet space 431, the cathode gas outlet space 432, the cathode offgas inlet space 433, and the cathode offgas outlet space 434 are provided at the four corners of the humidifying unit 4. More specifically, the cathode gas inlet space 431 and the cathode gas outlet space 432 are provided at diagonal positions, and the cathode offgas inlet space 433 and the cathode offgas outlet space 434 are provided at diagonal positions.

[0042] 3, the cathode gas inlet space 431 communicates with the second gas supply passage 2. Therefore, a cathode gas G1 supplied from the outside via the gas supply port P1, the first gas supply passage 1, the first control valve V1, and the second gas supply passage 2 flows into the cathode gas inlet space 431 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0043] 3, the cathode gas inlet space 431 communicates with the cathode gas outlet space 432 via the moisture supply unit of the separator 41. The cathode gas G1 that has flowed into the cathode gas inlet space 431 passes through the moisture supply unit of the separator 41 and flows into the cathode gas outlet space 432. That is, the cathode gas G1 that has been humidified by passing through the moisture supply unit flows into the cathode gas outlet space 432.

[0044] Furthermore, the cathode gas outflow space 432 communicates with the connecting flow path 5. Therefore, the humidified cathode gas G1 that has flowed into the cathode gas outflow space 432 flows into the connecting flow path 5. As described above, the connecting flow path 5 is connected to the bypass flow path 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and therefore the cathode gas G1 that has circulated through the connecting flow path 5 flows into the bypass flow path 3 and is supplied to the fuel cell FC. In other words, the cathode gas G1 supplied from the outside is supplied to the fuel cell FC via the gas supply port P1, the first gas supply flow path 1, the first control valve V1, the second gas supply flow path 2, the cathode gas inflow space 431, the moisture supply unit of the separator 41, the cathode gas outflow space 432, the connecting flow path 5, and the bypass flow path 3 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0045] 3, the cathode offgas inflow space 433 communicates with the introduction flow path 6. The cathode offgas inflow space 433 receives the cathode offgas G2 containing moisture discharged from the fuel cell FC.

[0046] The cathode offgas inflow space 433 is also in communication with the cathode offgas outflow space 434 via the moisture removal portion of the separator 41. The cathode offgas G2 that has flowed into the cathode offgas inflow space 433 passes through the moisture removal portion and flows into the cathode offgas outflow space 434. That is, the cathode offgas G2 that has had moisture removed by passing through the moisture removal portion of the separator 41 flows into the cathode offgas outflow space 434.

[0047] The cathode offgas outflow space 434 communicates with the first discharge flow path 7 described with reference to Fig. 1. Therefore, the cathode offgas G2 that flows into the cathode offgas outflow space 434 is discharged to the outside via the first discharge flow path 7, the second control valve V2, the second discharge flow path 8, and the discharge port P2. In other words, the cathode offgas G2 discharged from the fuel cell FC is discharged to the outside via the introduction flow path 6, the cathode offgas inflow space 433, the moisture absorption portion of the separator 41, the cathode offgas outflow space 434, the first discharge flow path 7, the second control valve V2, the second discharge flow path 8, and the discharge port P2 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

[0048] [Cover] 2 to 5, the humidifier 10 further includes a cover portion 9 that covers the humidifying portion 4. In this embodiment, the cover portion 9 is disposed on the front side F of the humidifying portion 4, and also functions as a manifold.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, the cover unit 9 has a first cover body 91 arranged on the side closer to the humidifier unit 4 (rear side B) and a second cover body 92 arranged on the side farther from the humidifier unit 4 than the first cover body 91 (front side F).

[0050] The first cover body 91 and the second cover body 92 are formed of, for example, resin. However, the first cover body 91 and the second cover body 92 may be formed of a metal material such as aluminum or steel. The first cover body 91 and the second cover body 92 are fastened and fixed to each other with fastening members such as bolts and nuts.

[0051] The first cover body 91 has a first base 911 having a main surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction (up-down and left-to-right directions), and a first guide 912 extending from the first base 911 as its base end toward the second cover body 92 (front side F).

[0052] The second cover body 92 has a second base 921 having a main surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and a second guide 922 extending toward the first cover body 91 (rear side) from the second base 921. The second base 921 is provided spaced apart from the first base 911 in the front-rear direction.

[0053] A space is formed between the first base 911, the first guide 912, the second base 921, and the second guide 922, and the connection flow path 5 is composed of the space partitioned by the first base 911, the first guide 912, the second base 921, and the second guide 922.

[0054] [Connection flow path] Next, the configuration of the connection flow path 5 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. The connection flow path 5 has a curved portion 51 on the upstream side in the first flow direction D1 and a connection portion 52 on the downstream side. The curved portion 51 curves so as to bulge toward the center X of the humidifying unit 4 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the humidifying unit 4 has a rectangular shape when viewed in the front-to-rear direction, and the center X of the humidifying unit 4 is the point where diagonals of the humidifying unit 4 intersect when viewed in the front-to-rear direction.

[0055] The curved portion 51 is provided so as to overlap with the humidifying portion 4 when viewed in the front-rear direction. That is, the curved portion 51 is located inside the projected image (silhouette) of the humidifying portion 4 in the front-rear direction.

[0056] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the wall surface 5h of the lower side D that constitutes the curved portion 51 of the connecting flow path 5 is composed of a first guide 912 and a second guide 922, and when the wall surface 5h is viewed along the front-to-rear direction, the first guide 912 and the second guide 922 are arranged so that the wall surface 5h has an approximately arc shape.

[0057] 2, the connection portion 52 is located outside the projected image of the humidifier 4 in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the connection portion 52 protrudes to the upper side U above the projected image of the humidifier 4 and connects to the bypass flow path 3.

[0058] The connection part 52 is connected to the bypass flow path 3 upstream of the downstream end 3b of the bypass flow path 3 in the first flow direction D1. The connection part 52 is connected to the bypass flow path 3 at an acute angle θ with respect to the bypass flow path 3. More specifically, the connection part 52 is connected to the bypass flow path 3 at an acute angle θ with respect to the first flow direction D1. Hereinafter, the part of the bypass flow path 3 upstream of a connection point 3c with the connection part 52 will be referred to as an upstream part 3d, and the part downstream of the connection point 3c will be referred to as a downstream part 3e. Only the cathode gas G1 that has not passed through the humidifier 4 flows through the upstream part 3d. When the first control valve V1 described with reference to FIG. 1 is in the first state, the cathode gas G1 that has passed through the humidifier 4 flows through the downstream part 3e. When the first control valve V1 is in the second state, the cathode gas G1 that has not passed through the humidifier 4 flows through the downstream part 3e.

[0059] [Effects of the embodiment] As described above, in the humidifier 10 according to this embodiment, the curved portion 51 of the connection flow path 5 that supplies the humidified cathode gas G1 to the fuel cell FC curves so as to bulge toward the center X of the humidifier unit 4, and the curved portion 51 is located inside the projected image of the humidifier unit 4 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the curved portion 51 does not protrude outward beyond the humidifier unit 4 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. This allows the humidifier 10 to be made smaller. This improves the degree of freedom in designing the periphery of the humidifier 10.

[0060] When viewed along the stacking direction of the separator 41, the connecting flow path 5 is formed in an area that includes the area that overlaps with the separator 41, thereby preventing the separator 41 from protruding outward, and allowing the humidifier to be made smaller.

[0061] Furthermore, by connecting the connection flow path 5 to the bypass flow path 3 upstream of the downstream end 3b of the bypass flow path 3 in the first flow direction D1, it is possible to share a common flow path for the cathode gas G1 flowing through the connection flow path 5 and for the cathode gas G1 flowing through the bypass flow path 3. Specifically, the downstream portion 3e of the bypass flow path 3 can be shared as a flow path for the cathode gas G1 supplied from the outside without passing through the humidifier 4 and for the cathode gas G1 that has passed through the humidifier 4 and been humidified. This eliminates the need to provide a separate flow path for connecting the connection flow path 5 and the fuel cell FC, allowing the humidifier 10 to be made more compact. In addition, the number of parts constituting the humidifier 10 can be reduced.

[0062] Furthermore, since the connection portion 52 of the connection flow path 5 is connected to the bypass flow path 3 at an acute angle θ with respect to the first flow direction D1, the pressure loss of the cathode gas G1 flowing from the connection flow path 5 to the bypass flow path 3 can be reduced.

[0063] [Another embodiment] The present disclosure may be configured as follows in addition to the above-described embodiments (common numbers and symbols as in the embodiments are used to designate components having the same functions as in the embodiments).

[0064] (a) The wall surface 5h is not limited to the shape of the embodiment as long as it can reduce the pressure loss of the cathode gas G1 flowing through the connecting flow path 5, and the position where the center of the wall surface 5h is located may be, for example, the upper left corner of the cathode gas outflow space 432.

[0065] (b) In this embodiment, the connection flow path 5 is connected to the bypass flow path 3, but the connection flow path 5 may be connected to the fuel cell FC without being connected to the bypass flow path 3. Alternatively, the connection flow path 5 may be connected to the bypass flow path 3 at the downstream end of the bypass flow path 3.

[0066] (c) The connection portion 52 of the connecting flow path 5 is not limited to being connected to the bypass flow path 3 at an acute angle θ with respect to the first flow direction D1, and the connection portion 52 of the connecting flow path 5 may be connected at a right angle or an obtuse angle with respect to the first flow direction D1.

[0067] (d) In the present embodiment, the connection flow path 5 is formed by a space defined by the first base 911, the first guide 912, the second base 921, and the second guide 922. However, the connection flow path 5 may be provided in at least one of the first cover body 91 and the second cover body 92. For example, the connection flow path 5 may be formed by a space defined by the first base 911, the second base 921, and the second guide 922, or a space defined by the first base 911, the first guide 912, and the second base 921. Alternatively, the connection flow path 5 may be formed by a hole that penetrates the first base 911 of the first cover body 91 in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the first base 911. Similarly, the connection flow path 5 may be formed by a hole that penetrates the second base 921 of the second cover body 92 in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the second base 921. By selecting from the above configurations, the degree of freedom in the location where the connecting flow path 5 is provided is increased, and the humidifier 10 can be made smaller.

[0068] (e) In the present embodiment, the humidifier 4 has a rectangular shape when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. However, the shape of the humidifier 4 is not particularly limited, and the shape when viewed in the front-to-rear direction may be a square, circle, ellipse, or the like. When the humidifier 4 has a circular or elliptical shape, the central portion X of the humidifier 4 is the center of the circle or ellipse. In this case, the shapes of the cathode gas inlet space 431, the cathode gas outlet space 432, the cathode offgas inlet space 433, and the cathode offgas outlet space 434 may be changed depending on the shape of the humidifier 4.

[0069] (f) In this embodiment, the four gas inlet spaces 43 (cathode gas inlet space 431, cathode gas outlet space 432, cathode offgas inlet space 433, and cathode offgas outlet space 434) have approximately the same shape when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. However, the shapes of the cathode gas inlet space 431, cathode gas outlet space 432, cathode offgas inlet space 433, and cathode offgas outlet space 434 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction may be different from each other, or only one or two of the four gas inlet spaces 43 may be different.

[0070] (g) In the present embodiment, the shapes of the cathode gas inlet space 431, the cathode gas outlet space 432, the cathode offgas inlet space 433, and the cathode offgas outlet space 434 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction are approximately trapezoidal, but the shapes of the cathode gas inlet space 431, the cathode gas outlet space 432, the cathode offgas inlet space 433, and the cathode offgas outlet space 434 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction are not limited to approximately trapezoidal, and may be triangular, rectangular, elliptical, circular, etc. [Industrial Applicability]

[0071] The present disclosure can be used in humidifiers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 3: Bypass flow path 3b: Downstream end 5: Connecting channel 9: Cover part 10: Humidifier 41: Separator 51: Curved section 52: Connection part 91: First cover body 92: Second cover body 431: Cathode gas inlet space (dry gas inlet space) 432: Cathode gas outflow space (gas outflow space after humidification) FC: Fuel cell G1: Cathode gas (dry gas, humidified gas) X: Central part (center)

Claims

1. a stacked separator having a dry gas inflow space into which a dry gas flows and a humidified gas outflow space from which a humidified gas obtained by humidifying the dry gas is discharged, the separator passing the dry gas to humidify it; a connection flow path that allows the humidified gas from the humidified gas outflow space to flow to a fuel cell, The connecting flow path is When viewed from the stacking direction of the separator, the separator includes an area overlapping the separator, a curved portion that curves toward the center of the separator; The humidifier guides the humidified gas from the humidified gas outflow space to the curved portion and causes the gas to flow to the fuel cell.

2. a bypass flow path that allows the dry gas to flow to the fuel cell without passing through the dry gas inlet space; The humidifier according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting flow path further includes a connecting portion that is connected to the bypass flow path upstream of the downstream end of the bypass flow path.

3. The humidifier according to claim 2 , wherein the connecting portion is connected to the bypass flow path at an acute angle.

4. One surface of the stacked separator is covered with a cover portion, the cover portion includes a first cover body and a second cover body that covers the first cover body, 4. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the connection flow path is provided in at least one of the first cover body and the second cover body.

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