Patent ID: 6924051

Claim:
In a fuel cell system, the combination of: a fuel cell; an oxygen containing gas inlet to said fuel cell; a hydrogen rich gas inlet to said fuel cell; said fuel cell acting as a source for a heat exchange medium having heat rejected by said fuel cell during operation thereof; and a humidifier for humidifying gas entering at least one of said gas inlets and having a core including a plurality of spaced heat exchange medium flow paths, each flow path being defined by spaced plates sealed about their edges by a first bar structure and having a heat exchange medium inlet and a heat exchange medium outlet, the heat exchange medium inlets and outlets of said heat exchange medium flow paths being connected respectively to one another by a heat exchange medium inlet manifold and a heat exchange medium outlet manifold with at least said inlet manifold in fluid communication with said fuel cell, and fins disposed in the spaces between adjacent ones of the plates defining adjacent ones of said heat exchange medium flow paths, a second bar structure between said adjacent ones of said plates and sealing said spaces between said adjacent ones of the plates, a gas inlet manifold from said spaces between adjacent ones of the plates, a gas outlet manifold from said spaces between adjacent ones of said plates, said gas outlet manifold connected to one of said fuel cell inlets and a water injector in said gas inlet manifold, said fins having hydrophilic surfaces.