Patent ID: 7553579

Claim:
A planar fuel cell unit for use in a solid oxide fuel cell stack, stacked between upper and lower seal elements, the lower seal element having three distinct openings; a central cathode flow field opening which defines the peripheral boundary of a cathode flow field which includes an air intake portion and an air exhaust portion, a fuel intake manifold opening and a fuel exhaust manifold opening, the upper seal element having three distinct openings; a central anode flow field opening which defines the peripheral boundary of an anode flow field which includes a fuel intake portion and a fuel exhaust portion, an air intake manifold opening and an air exhaust manifold opening, said unit comprising: (a) an upper cushion element and a lower cushion element wherein each of the upper and lower cushion elements define a central cell opening, air intake and exhaust manifold openings and fuel intake and exhaust manifold openings wherein the fuel intake manifold opening and the fuel exhaust manifold opening of the upper cushion element are positioned within the peripheral boundary of the anode flow field, aligned respectively with the fuel intake portion and the fuel exhaust portion of the anode flow field, and wherein the air intake manifold opening and the air exhaust manifold opening of the lower cushion element are positioned within the peripheral boundary of the cathode flow field, aligned respectively with the air intake portion and the air exhaust portion of the cathode flow field; and (b) a cell holder plate having a central cell opening; and (c) a fuel cell comprising upper electrode, a lower electrode and a central electrolyte and disposed within the cell holder plate cell opening; (d) wherein the upper electrode is exposed through the upper cushion element opening, the lower electrode is exposed through the lower cushion element cell opening.