Fuel cell

A fuel cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells, said fuel cells each formed by stacking electrolyte electrode assemblies between separators, said electrolyte electrode assemblies each including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte interposed between said anode and said cathode, said separators each comprising:

• sandwiching sections for sandwiching said electrolyte electrode assemblies, at least a reactant gas inlet for supplying a reactant gas that is a fuel gas or an oxygen-containing gas along an electrode surface of said anode or said cathode being formed in each of said sandwiching sections;
• bridges connected to said sandwiching sections, and each having a reactant gas supply channel for supplying the reactant gas to said reactant gas inlet;
• a reactant gas supply unit connected to said bridges, a reactant gas supply passage extending through said reactant gas supply unit in a stacking direction for supplying the reactant gas to said reactant gas supply channel;
• and
• a case unit forming an outer circumferential portion of said separator for containing said electrolyte electrode assemblies;
• wherein said separator further comprises first and second plates, each of the first and second plates being integrally provided with the case unit;
• wherein said separator further comprises other bridges connected to said sandwiching sections and said case unit, the other bridges having other reactant gas supply channels for supplying the oxygen-containing gas to said oxygen-containing gas inlet or supplying the fuel gas to said fuel gas inlet;
• wherein said case unit further comprises other reactant gas supply units, and other reactant gas supply passages for supplying the oxygen-containing gas or the fuel gas to the other reactant gas supply channels extend through the other reactant gas supply units in the stacking direction, and wherein the other reactant gas supply passages are an enclosed flow passage that extends parallel to the stacking direction;
• at least one extension for collecting the voltage obtained in power generation of said electrolyte electrode assemblies is formed in the outer circumferential portion of said case unit;
• and
• a voltmeter is connected to said extension on one of said separators and said extension on another of said separators.

A fuel cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells, said fuel cells each formed by stacking electrolyte electrode assemblies between separators, said electrolyte electrode assemblies each including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte interposed between said anode and said cathode, said separators each comprising:

• sandwiching sections for sandwiching said electrolyte electrode assemblies, a fuel gas inlet for supplying a fuel gas along an electrode surface of said anode and an oxygen-containing gas inlet for supplying an oxygen-containing gas along an electrode surface of said cathode being formed in each of said sandwiching sections;
• first bridges connected to said sandwiching sections, and each having a first reactant gas supply channel for supplying the fuel gas to said fuel gas inlet or supplying the oxygen-containing gas to said oxygen-containing gas inlet;
• a first reactant gas supply unit connected to said first bridges, a first reactant gas supply passage extending through said first reactant gas supply unit in a stacking direction for supplying the fuel gas or the oxygen-containing gas to said first reactant gas supply channel;
• second bridges connected to said sandwiching sections, and each having a second reactant gas supply channel for supplying the fuel gas to said fuel gas inlet or supplying the oxygen-containing gas to said oxygen-containing gas inlet;
• a case unit connected to said second bridges, said case unit containing said electrolyte electrode assemblies;
• and
• second reactant gas supply units provided in said case unit, second reactant gas supply passages extending through said second reactant gas supply units in the stacking direction for supplying the oxygen-containing gas or the fuel gas to said second reactant gas channel and further extending through the second reactant gas supply units of another fuel cell in the stacking direction, and wherein the second reactant gas supply passages are an enclosed flow passage that extends parallel to the stacking direction,
• wherein said sandwiching sections, said first bridges, said first reactant gas supply unit, said second bridges, said case unit and said second reactant gas supply units are provided integrally with said separator;
• wherein said separator further comprises first and second plates, each of the first and second plates being integrally provided with the case unit;
• and
• at least one extension for collecting the voltage obtained in power generation of said electrolyte electrode assemblies is formed in an outer circumferential portion of said case unit.