Fuel cell casing and fuel cell

Abstract

The fuel cell casing includes a plural stacked units. Each unit includes a base body having a concavity, for accommodating a membrane electrode assembly; a first fluid channel formed in the base body; a first wiring conductor formed in the base body; a lid body for sealing concavity hermetically; a second fluid channel formed in the lid body; and a second wiring conductor formed in the lid body. The first wiring conductor of a lower unit is electrically connected to the second wiring conductor of an upper unit. Each unit has a convexity on an end portion of a side surface thereof which end portion is on an adjacent unit side, and the units adjacent to each other are bonded to each other at the convexities.

1 - 10 . (canceled)  
     
     
         11 . A fuel cell casing comprising: 
 a plurality of fuel cell casing units stacked together, each of the fuel cell casing units including,    a base body made of ceramics that has a plurality of concavities formed on one surface thereof, for accommodating therein a membrane electrode assembly, the membrane electrode assembly having a first electrode and a second electrode which are formed on one principal surface and another principal surface thereof, respectively;    a first fluid channel formed so as to extend from a bottom surface of the concavity facing the one principal surface of the membrane electrode assembly to an outer surface of the base body;    a sixth wiring conductor having its one end disposed on a bottom surface of the concavity facing the first electrode of the membrane electrode assembly, and its another end led to the outer surface of the base body;    a lid body mounted on the one surface of the base body near the concavities so as to cover the concavities, for sealing the concavities hermetically;    a second fluid channel formed so as to extend from one surface of the lid body facing the other principal surface of the membrane electrode assembly to an outer surface of the lid body;    a seventh wiring conductor having its one end disposed on one surface of the lid body facing the second electrode of the membrane electrode assembly, and its another end led to the outer surface of the lid body,    the fuel cell casing further comprising:    an eighth wiring conductor having its one end connected to the sixth wiring conductor facing the first electrode of the membrane electrode assembly on the bottom surface in one of the plurality of concavities, and its another end led to the one surface of the base body on which the lid body is mounted; and    a ninth wiring conductor having its one end connected to the seventh wiring conductor facing the second electrode of the membrane electrode assembly accommodated in another of the plurality of concavities on the one surface of the lid body, and its another end led to the one surface of the lid body to be mounted on the one surface of the base body, so as to face the other end of the eighth wiring conductor,    wherein the sixth wiring conductor of one fuel cell casing unit is electrically connected to the seventh wiring conductor of another fuel cell casing unit which is stacked thereon and adjacent thereto,    and wherein each of the fuel cell casing units has a convexity which is formed on an end portion of a side surface thereof which end portion is on an adjacent cell casing unit side, and the fuel cell casing units adjacent to each other are bonded to each other at their convexities.    
     
     
         12 . The fuel cell casing of  claim 11 , wherein the eighth wiring conductor is provided on the other fuel cell casing unit and the ninth wiring conductor is provided on the one fuel cell casing unit, 
 wherein the eighth wiring conductor and the ninth wiring conductor are connected through a connecting wiring conductor.    
     
     
         13 . The fuel cell casing of  claim 11 , wherein an adhesive used for bonding the convexities together is made of a thermosetting resin material having a curing temperature of 200° C. or below.  
     
     
         14 . The fuel cell casing of  claim 11 , wherein the base body and the lid body each possess a flexural strength of 200 MPa or above.  
     
     
         15 . The fuel cell casing of  claim 11 , wherein the base body and the lid body each have a thickness of 0.2 mm to 5 mm.  
     
     
         16 . The fuel cell casing of  claim 11 , wherein the base body and the lid body are composed of sintered aluminum oxide having a relative density of 90% or above.  
     
     
         17 - 18 . (canceled)  
     
     
         19 . A fuel cell comprising: 
 a membrane electrode assembly having a first electrode and a second electrode which are formed on one principal surface and another principal surface thereof, respectively; and    the fuel cell casing of  claim 11 ,    wherein the membrane electrode assemblies are accommodated in the plurality of concavities of the fuel cell casing, respectively, one and the other principal surfaces of the membrane electrode assembly are arranged such that fluid can be exchanged between the one principal surface and the first fluid channel and between the other principal surface and the second fluid channel, respectively, the sixth wiring conductor is electrically connected to the first electrode, the seventh wiring conductor is electrically connected to the second electrode, the one end of the eighth wiring conductor is electrically connected to the sixth wiring conductor, the one end of the ninth wiring conductor is electrically connected to the seventh wiring conductor, the other ends of the eighth and ninth wiring conductors are electrically connected to each other, and the lid body is mounted on the one surface of the base body near the concavity so as to cover the concavity.