Patent ID: 7799480

Claim:
A fuel cell stack comprising a stack body formed by stacking a plurality of power generation cells in a stacking direction, said power generation cells each including an electrolyte electrode assembly and separators sandwiching said electrolyte electrode assembly, said electrolyte electrode assembly including a pair of electrodes, and an electrolyte interposed between said electrodes, said separators each having a fluid flow field for allowing at least one of a reactant gas and a coolant to flow in a direction along a power generation surface, a fluid passage connected to said fluid flow field extending through said separators in the stacking direction, said fuel cell stack further comprising: terminal plates, insulating plates, and end plates provided at opposite ends of said stack body; and a dummy cell provided at least at one end of said stack body in the stacking direction, said dummy cell corresponding to said power generation cell, wherein said dummy cell comprises: a dummy electrode assembly having a same shape as one of said electrolyte electrode assemblies of said power generation cells, said dummy electrode assembly including a metal plate with a same shape as one of said electrolytes, and carbon papers sandwiching said metal plate, each carbon paper having a same shape as one of said electrodes; and dummy separators sandwiching said dummy electrode assembly, said dummy separators and said separators having substantially the same structure, wherein a heat insulating space is formed at least in said dummy cell or between a plurality of such dummy cells.