Patent ID: 7150929

Claim:
A fuel cell system, comprising: a plurality of fuel cells interspersed with a plurality of cooler plates in a stack, each fuel cell having a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet, an oxidant inlet and an oxidant outlet; each of said fuel cells having a reactive zone which is adjacent to both the fuel inlet and the oxidant inlet of the fuel cell and a non-reactive zone which is adjacent to both the fuel exit and oxidant exit of the fuel cell; and each of said cooler plates disposed adjacent at least one group of said fuel cells, each of said cooler plates having at least one coolant channel extending from a coolant inlet through a first zone, which generally overlaps at least a portion of said non-reactive zones of said fuel cells, to at least one additional zone, adjacent said first zone, which generally overlaps at least a portion of said reactive zones, the coolant channel in said additional zone flowing coolant in a direction which is from an edge of said additional zone remote from said first zone to an edge of said additional zone adjacent said first zone, thereby providing coolant in said additional zone which is warmest adjacent to said first zone.