Patent ID: 7273672

Claim:
A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cell units laminated together, wherein each of the plurality of fuel cell units includes: a fuel electrode, first gas supply means for supplying a first gas to the side of said fuel electrode, an oxidant electrode, a second gas supply path for supplying a second gas to the side of said oxidant electrode, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between said fuel and oxidant electrodes, said solid polymer electrolyte membrane having a water holding region, first means for flowing said first gas in parallel flow paths in a first direction in said fuel cell stack and second means for flowing said second gas in parallel flow paths in a second direction in said fuel cell stack, said first and second directions being generally opposite and parallel, whereby water created on the side of said oxidant electrode is reciprocally moved between said fuel and oxidant electrodes to increase the water holding region in said solid polymer electrolyte membrane, a condenser, a gas discharge port for discharging at least said second gas from the side of said oxidant electrode, wherein said gas discharge port is connected to said second gas supply path so as to form a closed circulation path, and said condenser is provided in said closed circulation path, and containing means for containing condensed water condensed by said condenser, said containing means including absorbing means for absorbing the condensed water, condensed-water discharge means included in said condenser for compressing said absorbing means to forcibly discharge the condensed water absorbed in said absorbing means out of said condenser, wherein the first gas and the second gas are reactable with each other electrochemically in each fuel cell unit to generate electric power while flowing in parallel with one another along said solid polymer electrolyte membrane.