Patent ID: 8697296
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack formed by stacking electrolyte electrode assemblies and separators in a stacking direction, the electrolyte electrode assembly including an anode, and a cathode, and an electrolyte interposed between the anode and the cathode, the separator comprising: a sandwiching section for sandwiching the electrolyte electrode assembly, the sandwiching section having a fuel gas channel for supplying a fuel gas along an electrode surface of the anode and an oxygen-containing gas channel for supplying an oxygen-containing gas along an electrode surface of the cathode, and allowing the fuel gas and the oxygen-containing gas after consumption to be discharged from a circumferential portion of the electrolyte electrode assembly; a bridge connected to the sandwiching section, a fuel gas supply channel being formed in the bridge for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas channel; and a manifold connected to the bridge, a fuel gas supply passage extending through the manifold in the stacking direction for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas supply channel, the fuel cell system further comprising: an electric heater for heating the oxygen-containing gas supplied to the fuel cell stack in fluid communication with a heating medium supply channel; and wherein the heating medium supply channel for distributing the heated oxygen-containing gas is in fluid communication with the oxygen-containing gas channel and the fuel gas channel through the circumferential portion of the electrolyte electrode assembly; and an oxygen-containing gas supply channel extending in the stacking direction, for supplying the oxygen-containing gas to the oxygen-containing gas channel, wherein the heating medium supply channel is connected to the oxygen-containing gas supply channel.