Patent ID: 8865363

Claim:
A fuel cell formed by stacking electrolyte electrode assemblies and separators alternately in a stacking direction, the electrolyte electrode assemblies each including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte interposed between the anode and the cathode, the separators each including: a sandwiching section for sandwiching the electrolyte electrode assembly, a fuel gas channel for supplying a fuel gas along an electrode surface of the anode of one electrolyte electrode assembly and an oxygen-containing gas channel for supplying an oxygen-containing gas along an electrode surface of the cathode of another electrolyte electrode assembly being individually formed in the sandwiching section; a bridge connected to the sandwiching section, a fuel gas supply channel for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas channel being formed in the bridge; and a fuel gas supply section connected to the bridge, a fuel gas supply passage extending through the fuel gas supply section in the stacking direction for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas supply channel, the sandwiching section including: a fuel gas inlet for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas channel; an outer circumferential protrusion protruding toward the fuel gas channel, and contacting an outer circumference of the anode; two or more fuel gas outlet channels provided on each of both sides of a portion connecting the sandwiching section and the bridge for discharging the fuel gas partially consumed in the fuel gas channel; and an extension provided on an outer circumference of the sandwiching section and protruding from between the two or more fuel gas outlet channels provided on a given side of the portion connecting the sandwiching section and the bridge, wherein the extension is configured to collect electrical energy generated in the electrolyte electrode assembly or measure a state of the electrolyte electrode assembly, wherein, in the fuel gas outlet channel, a cross sectional area on a downstream side in a gas flow direction of the fuel gas is larger than a cross sectional area on an upstream side in the gas flow direction of the fuel gas.