Fuel cell with humidifier

A fuel cell assembly comprising:

• a unit fuel cell comprising a membrane electrode assembly;
• a humidifier comprising:
• a water-retaining layer for retaining water therein, said water-retaining layer being made of hydrophilic porous material,
• a water permeable layer in face-to-face contact with said water-retaining layer for humidifying gas in the gas channel of a separator, said water permeable layer being made of a hydrophilic porous material that passes water, but not gas;
• the separator having a gas channel facing said water permeable layer on one face and facing the membrane electrode assembly on the other face;
• and
• a humidifier holding member for holding peripheries of the water-retaining layer, water permeable layer, and unit fuel cell, wherein the humidifier holding member, which is partitioned from a gas flow channel with a wall member, is provided with a water flow channel therein to exclusively supply water to the water-retaining layer.

A fuel cell assembly comprising:

• a unit fuel cell comprising a membrane electrode assembly;
• and
• a humidifier comprising:
• a water-retaining layer for retaining water therein, said water-retaining layer being made of hydrophilic porous material;
• a separator having a gas channel facing the water-retaining layer on one face and facing the membrane electrode assembly on the other face;
• a filter made of a hydrophilic porous material being disposed between (a) a water channel for supplying water to the water-retaining layer, and (b) the water-retaining layer;
• and
• a humidifier holding member for holding peripheries of the water-retaining layer and the unit fuel cell, wherein the water-retaining layer supplies water to gas passing in the gas channel to humidify it, and wherein the humidifier holding member, which is partitioned from a gas flow channel with a wall member, is provided with the water channel therein to exclusively supply water to the water-retaining layer, supplying the water thereto via the filter.

A fuel cell assembly comprising a humidifier and a plurality of fuel cell units, wherein each of the fuel cell units comprises an electrolyte membrane, a cathode adjacent to one face of the membrane, an anode adjacent to the other face of the membrane, a gas diffusion layer adjacent to the cathode, a gas diffusion layer adjacent to the anode, a separator having a flow channel on one face thereof for flowing oxidizing gas, which is adjacent to the cathode, and a separator having a flow channel for flowing fuel gas, which is adjacent to the anode, wherein the humidifier comprises a water permeable layer, a porous water-retaining layer for retaining water supplied thereinto, and a holder for the water-retaining layer, wherein a surface of the holder for the water-retaining layer and an adjacent surface of the water-retaining layer are in contact over entire adjacent surfaces thereof, and a surface of the water-retaining layer and an adjacent surface of the water permeable layer are in contact over entire adjacent surfaces thereof, wherein the water-retaining layer is made of a hydrophilic polymer material, said porous water-retaining layer being in communication with a channel containing water by way of an edge of the water-retaining layer in contact with the channel, for passing water, but not gas, said channel containing water exclusively supplying water to the water-retaining layer, supplying water thereto via the edge of the water-retaining layer, wherein the water-retaining layer communicates with the channel containing water by way of the edge of the water-retaining layer, which is disposed at a position where the cooling water inlet and the water-retaining layer communicate with each other, wherein the water-retaining layer takes water thereinto at a peripheral portion thereof, where the water-retaining layer is in contact with cooling water, and wherein the humidifier adjoins an end of the plurality of the fuel cell units in such a relation that the water-retaining layer faces the flow channels thereby to transfer water introduced into the water-retaining layer to the fuel gas and/or oxidizing gas flowing in the flow channels, the flow channels for flowing gases being partitioned with a wall from the channel containing water.