A fuel cell column includes a stack of alternating fuel cells and interconnects, where the interconnects separate adjacent fuel cells in the stack and contain fuel and air channels which are configured to provide respective fuel and air to the fuel cells. a manifold plate containing a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole located in a bottom surface of the manifold plate, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the manifold plate, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole, and a mitigation structure configured to reduce stress applied to the stack due to at least one of a shape mismatch or coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the stack and the manifold plate.

A fuel cell column includes a stack of alternating fuel cells and interconnects, where the interconnects separate adjacent fuel cells in the stack and contain fuel and air channels which are configured to provide respective fuel and air to the fuel cells. a manifold plate containing a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole located in a bottom surface of the manifold plate, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the manifold plate, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole, and a mitigation structure configured to reduce stress applied to the stack due to at least one of a shape mismatch or coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the stack and the manifold plate.

A hybrid bipolar plate assembly for a fuel cell includes a formed cathode half plate and a stamped metal anode half plate. The stamped metal anode half plate is nested with and affixed to the formed cathode half plate. Each of the half plates has a reactant side and a coolant side, a feed region, and a header with a plurality of header apertures. The coolant side of the formed cathode half plate has support features that can be different from and need not correspond with cathode flow channels formed on the opposite reactant side. The coolant side of the stamped metal anode half plate has lands corresponding with anode channels formed on the opposite oxidant side. The lands define a plurality of coolant channels on the coolant side of the stamped metal anode half plate and abut the coolant side of the formed cathode half plate.

A hybrid bipolar plate assembly for a fuel cell includes a formed cathode half plate and a stamped metal anode half plate. The stamped metal anode half plate is nested with and affixed to the formed cathode half plate. Each of the half plates has a reactant side and a coolant side, a feed region, and a header with a plurality of header apertures. The coolant side of the formed cathode half plate has support features that can be different from and need not correspond with cathode flow channels formed on the opposite reactant side. The coolant side of the stamped metal anode half plate has lands corresponding with anode channels formed on the opposite oxidant side. The lands define a plurality of coolant channels on the coolant side of the stamped metal anode half plate and abut the coolant side of the formed cathode half plate.

A manifold plate for a fuel cell stack includes a lower manifold portion, an upper manifold portion, a dielectric layer sandwiched between the lower manifold portion and the upper manifold portion, a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole formed in a bottom surface of the lower manifold portion, where the bottom inlet hole and the bottom outlet hole extend through the dielectric layer, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the upper manifold portion, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole.

A manifold plate for a fuel cell stack includes a lower manifold portion, an upper manifold portion, a dielectric layer sandwiched between the lower manifold portion and the upper manifold portion, a bottom inlet hole and a bottom outlet hole formed in a bottom surface of the lower manifold portion, where the bottom inlet hole and the bottom outlet hole extend through the dielectric layer, top outlet holes and top inlet holes formed in opposing sides of a top surface of the upper manifold portion, outlet channels fluidly connecting the top outlet holes to the bottom inlet hole, and inlet channels fluidly connecting the top inlet holes to the bottom outlet hole.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a fuel cell separator having minimized surface defect via surface polishing using high-pressure injection, in which surface polishing is performed using a high-pressure injection scheme in which polishing-fluid is injected at high-pressure through a polishing-fluid injection nozzle before performing vision inspection, thereby minimizing the surface defect of the fuel cell separator.

A fuel cell stack including a separator having a gas equal distribution structure includes a cell formed by sequentially stacking an air electrode, an electrolyte, and a fuel electrode, an air electrode current collector, an air electrode separator, a fuel electrode current collector, and a fuel electrode separator. The air path or the fuel path includes a first channel through which the air or the fuel is introduced from the outside and which is formed to extend to a predetermined length, an auxiliary channel branched off from the first channel so that the air or the fuel moves from the first channel, and a second channel connected to an end portion of the auxiliary channel and formed to extend to a predetermined length so that the air or the fuel moved from the auxiliary channel is moved and discharged to the outside.

A load receiver member of a fuel cell separator member of a fuel cell stack includes an attachment portion disposed between an outer peripheral portion of a first metal separator and an outer peripheral portion of a second metal separator, and a tab continuous with the attachment portion and protruding from an outer peripheral portion of a joint separator. The attachment portion is joined to the outer peripheral portion of the joint separator by a joint portion.

A fuel cell is provided to include a cell stack in which unit cells are stacked in a first direction, an end plate disposed at the end of the cell stack, and a current-collecting plate disposed between the end plate and the end of the cell stack. The current-collecting plate includes a conductive area having a conductive surface, which is in electrically conductive surface contact with a reaction surface of the end of the cell stack, and configured to collect power generated by the cell stack, and an airtight area having an airtight surface, which is in airtight surface contact with a non-reaction surface of the end of the cell stack, and surrounding the conductive area. The degree to which the conductive surface protrudes toward the end of the cell stack is different from the degree to which the airtight surface protrudes toward the end of the cell stack.