Patent ID: 8221931
Filing Date: 2012-07-17
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell stack comprising: a plurality of fuel cell units each including an anode electrode, and a cathode electrode, and a solid polymer ion exchange membrane interposed between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode, said plurality of fuel cell units being stacked with separators intervening therebetween, wherein each of said fuel cell units has a rectangular shape having a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side, the first side and the second side being opposite to each other and having a first length, the third side and the fourth side being opposite to each other and having a second length longer than the first length; and a fuel gas supply and discharge passage extends through said fuel stack for supplying a fuel gas to said plurality of fuel cell units and an oxygen-containing gas supply and discharge passage extends through said fuel cell stack for supplying an oxygen-containing gas to said plurality of fuel cell units, said fuel gas supply and discharge passage including: said oxygen-containing gas supply and discharge passage including: a plurality of fuel gas flow passages connecting said fuel gas supply port and said fuel gas discharge port, said fuel gas flow passages being serpentine passages each having only four turns along an entire length of the passage, each turn changing a direction of the fuel gas flow; and a plurality of oxygen-containing gas flow passages connecting said oxygen-containing gas supply port and said oxygen-containing gas discharge port, said oxygen-containing gas flow passages being serpentine passages each having only four turns along the entire length of the passage, each turn changing a direction of the oxygen-containing gas flow, wherein each of the fuel gas supply port, the fuel gas discharge port, the oxygen-containing gas supply port and the oxygen-containing gas discharge port has a port shape elongated in a gravity direction extending parallel to the first and the second sides.