Patent ID: 8445154
Filing Date: 2013-05-21
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A header for supplying a gas in a fuel cell, the header being designed to be mounted in a fuel cell power system comprising a fuel cell body having a plurality of fuel cells therein, wherein a fuel gas and an oxidizer gas are passed through the fuel cell body for a power-generating reaction and then unreacted gases are subjected to a combustion reaction to generate a combustion exhaust gas, the header comprising: a gas chamber having a plurality of distributing ports so that the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas is distributed to the plurality of fuel cells within the fuel cell body; and a combustion exhaust gas flow passage through which the combustion exhaust gas generated in the fuel cell body is passed, so that a heat of the combustion exhaust gas is transferred to the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas in the gas chamber by heat exchange, wherein the header includes heat-exchange fins placed in an outer peripheral area of the fuel cell body for transferring the heat of the combustion exhaust gas to the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas by heat exchange, so that the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas having a higher temperature is supplied to a lower-temperature area of the fuel cell body, and the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas having a lower temperature is supplied to a higher-temperature area of the fuel cell body, wherein the combustion exhaust gas flow passage is disposed adjacent to the gas chamber, and the heat-exchange fins are placed on a partition wall, which partitions the gas chamber and the combustion exhaust gas flow passage from each other, on a side closer to the gas chamber or on a side closer to the combustion exhaust gas flow passage or on both of them, and wherein at least one of a thickness of the heat-exchange fins, a size of the fins and a distance between the fins is configured to control the amount of the heat of the combustion exhaust gas transferred by heat exchange to the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas in the gas chamber.