Patent ID: 7968248

Claim:
A fuel cell system that includes an electrode pair assembly, not having an interposing solid polymer proton exchange membrane, configured to receive and react with a liquid anolyte flowstream and a liquid catholyte flowstream, comprising: a porous flow-through anode; a porous flow-by cathode confronting and spaced apart from the anode; and a central plenum interposing between the anode and the cathode, wherein the anolyte flowstream is configured to flowingly contact and substantially pass through the anode and into or out of the central plenum, and wherein the catholyte flowstream is configured to flowingly contact and pass adjacent to the cathode such that a nonflowing portion of the catholyte flowstream reacts at the cathode but does not substantially pass through the cathode and into the central plenum, wherein the porous flow-through anode comprises a plurality of linear anode pores extending therethrough, and wherein the anolyte flowstream is configured to flowingly contact and substantially pass through the anode by way of the plurality of anode pores, and wherein the porous flow-by cathode comprises a plurality of linear cathode pores extending substantially therethrough, wherein a catalyzed separation layer is connected to the cathode so as to plug a volume portion of the plurality of cathode pores, and wherein the nonflowing portion of the catholyte flowstream resides within the cathode pores.