Patent ID: 8691465

Claim:
A fuel cell stack having stacked fuel cells and an end plate adjacent to a last of the stacked fuel cells, the fuel cell stack further comprising: a solid electrolyte layer; a fuel supply space into which a gaseous fuel is supplied, formed on one surface side of the solid electrolyte layer; and a buffer space for transferring and storing impurity gas that intruded into the fuel supply space, formed downstream of and in communication with the fuel supply space, wherein the buffer space is provided in the end plate, with one end of the buffer space being in communication with the fuel supply space and another end of the buffer space capable of being closed, wherein an open/close valve opened when discharging the impurity gas in the buffer space is connected to the buffer space at a side opposite to a side communicated with the fuel supply space, and the buffer space is constituted of a flow path structure which is longer than a linear distance from a position communicated with the fuel supply space to the open/close valve.