Patent ID: 8420256

Claim:
A method usable with an electrochemical cell, comprising: forming a sealed region on a flow plate to contain a reactant flow of the cell, the flow plate including an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface being one side of the flow plate and the lower surface being an opposing side of the flow plate, the sealed region including inner seals that surround each of a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet and an active area of the electrochemical cell, and a secondary seal that surrounds the inner seals; forming an opening located between an interior edge of the secondary seal and an exterior edge of at least one of the inner seals, the opening extending from the upper surface to the lower surface in the flow plate, the opening and the fuel outlet being surrounded by a third seal at the lower surface; and communicating leakage from the inner seal at the upper surface through the opening to the lower surface, the leakage contained by the third seal on the lower surface and communicated to the fuel outlet.