Patent ID: 8563190

Claim:
A fuel cell, comprising: multiple unit cells stacked upright in a vertical direction or stacked in a vertically inclined orientation; an insulating plate arranged on a vertically upper-side end of the stacked multiple unit cells; a cooling medium supply manifold arranged to distribute a supply flow of a cooling medium into the multiple unit cells and a cooling medium discharge manifold arranged to join together discharged flows of the cooling medium from the multiple unit cells; and a de-airing passage formed to release a gas accumulated in either the cooling medium supply manifold or the cooling medium discharge manifold, wherein the cooling medium supply manifold and the cooling medium discharge manifold are respectively connected to a cooling medium supply piping and a cooling medium discharge piping on a vertically lower-side end of the fuel cell, and the de-airing passage includes a lower end section, an upper end section, and an electric resistance-generating portion, the de-airing passage is formed such that the electric resistance-generating portion is located in the insulating plate, includes a tubular section, and extends in a direction perpendicular to a stacking direction of the unit cells, and the de-airing passage is connected to either the cooling medium discharge manifold or the cooling medium supply manifold on a vertically upper end side of the cooling medium discharge manifold or the cooling medium supply manifold.