Patent ID: 8916308

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 at least one of the electrolyte electrode assemblies, a fuel gas channel for supplying a fuel gas along an electrode surface of the anode of one of the electrolyte electrode assemblies and an oxygen-containing gas channel for supplying an oxygen-containing gas along an electrode surface of the cathode of another one of the electrolyte electrode assemblies; 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, a plurality of protrusions being provided on the bridge at a circumferential edge of the separator; and a fuel gas supply section connected to the bridge, a fuel gas supply passage for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas supply channel extending through the fuel gas supply section in the stacking direction, the sandwiching section including: a fuel gas inlet for supplying the fuel gas to the fuel gas channel, an outer circumferential protrusion protruding on the side of the fuel gas channel, and contacting an outer circumference of the anode, and a plurality of fuel gas outlets provided on the side of a portion connecting the sandwiching section and the bridge, wherein: each of the plurality of fuel gas outlets is angled away from the bridge such that the outlets are non-parallel with the bridge, the plurality of fuel gas outlets include a first plurality of fuel gas outlets on a first side of the bridge and a second plurality of fuel gas outlets on a second side of the bridge, the first plurality of fuel gas outlets are provided on a circumference of the sandwiching section on a first side of the bridge within a range of about 90° of a center point at which the bridge contacts the sandwiching section, the second plurality of fuel gas outlets are provided on the circumference of the sandwiching section on a second side of the bridge within a range of about 90° of the center point, the plurality of fuel gas outlets discharge the fuel gas consumed in the fuel gas channel, the plurality of fuel gas outlets are disposed symmetrically on both sides of the bridge such that an equal number of fuel gas outlets are disposed on each side, the bridge is free of a fuel gas outlet, and at least a portion of the plurality of fuel gas outlets is formed by the plurality of protrusions provided on the bridge, and the plurality of fuel gas outlets have larger opening areas at positions closer to the portion connecting the sandwiching section and the bridge.