Patent ID: 6884536
Filing Date: 2005-04-26
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising a hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode and a cathode sandwiching said hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode-side conductive separator plate having gas flow channels for supplying a fuel gas to said anode, and a cathode-side conductive separator plate having gas flow channels for supplying an oxidant gas to said cathode, wherein said anode-side and cathode-side conductive separator plates have a substantially rectangular part in contact with the anode or cathode in which the length of a longer side is not less than twice and not more than six times the length of a shorter side, an oxidant gas inlet manifold is formed in the vicinity of one of the shorter sides of said rectangular part and an oxidant gas outlet manifold is formed in the vicinity of the other of the shorter sides, each of said manifolds being formed as a through-hole of the separator plate, the oxidant gas flow channels of said cathode-side conductive separator plate have a linear part formed along said longer side, and each of said inlet manifold and outlet manifold has an opening having a width which is at least approximately equal to the sum of the widths of said gas flow channels communicating with said manifold, wherein said cathode-side conductive separator plate has, on the backside, cooling water flow channels having a linear part along the longer side of said rectangular part, and the flow direction of the oxidant gas in the linear part of said gas flow channels is substantially the same as the flow direction of the cooling water in the linear part of said cooling water flow channels.