Patent ID: 6964824

Claim:
A fuel cell including an electrolyte electrode assembly, and a pair of separators for sandwiching said electrolyte electrode assembly, said electrolyte electrode assembly including a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte interposed between said electrodes, said fuel cell further comprising: a plurality of fluid holes positioned outside of said electrodes and extending through said separators for passing a fluid, which comprises at least one of an oxygen-containing gas, a fuel gas, and a coolant, through said separators; and at least one fluid flow field selectively connected to said fluid holes which are used as a fluid supply port and a fluid discharge port, respectively, for causing said fluid to flow circularly along a surface of said electrode, wherein said fluid holes used as said fluid supply port and said fluid discharge port are subsequently changed to said fluid holes on an adjacent side of one of said separators around a perimeter of said separator, thereby causing the fluid to flow circularly in said fluid flow field.