Patent ID: 7306875

Claim:
A bipolar plate for a fuel cell, said plate comprising: a first half-plate having an inside face and an outside face, the inside face including at least one first groove and at least one second groove that are disposed thereon and spatially separated from each other, and the outside face including a first plurality of distribution channels disposed thereon, each of the first plurality of distribution channels having a distal end and a proximal end; and a second half-plate having an inside face and an outside face, the inside face including at least one first groove and at least one second groove that are disposed thereon and spatially separated from each other and from the first and second grooves on the inside face of the first half-plate, and the outside face including a second plurality of distribution channels disposed thereon, each of the second plurality of distribution channels having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the bipolar plate is structured and arranged so that the inside face of the first half-plate is fixedly attached to the inside face of the second half-plate so that, when the half-plates are fixedly attached, the at least one first groove and the at least one second groove on each half-plate provide four discrete channels that are disposed along the inside faces of said half-plates of said bipolar plate, each of the four discrete channels having a plurality of orifices that are fluidly coupled to at least one of the distal and the proximal ends of the first and second distribution channels on the outside faces of the half-plate.