Abstract: The present invention provides a solid oxide fuel cell system comprising a stack including a layer of a number of cell units and separators alternated with each other, and characterized in that a set of cell units are placed on one surface between the separators, wherein each cell unit in the set is separately placed on the surface crossing at right angles to the layered direction, and wherein internal manifolds for fuel gas supply/exhaust and internal manifolds for oxidant gas supply/exhaust are formed around each cell unit, and all of them are formed through the separators.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell assembly comprises at least one planar fuel cell consisting of a solid oxide electrolyte sandwiched by an anode and a cathode, and at least two gas separators having gas passages for supplying anode gas and cathode gas to said anode and cathode. The at least one fuel cell and at least two separators are arranged one on the other to form a fuel cell assembly. The gas separators except for the uppermost separator are integrally provided at its periphery with an upwardly extending side wall spaced from adjacent upper gas separator to form a space surrounding the fuel cell located thereon, and the space is charged with a nonconducting high viscous melt. The fuel cell assembly may comprises a plurality of planar fuel cells and a plurality of planar separators arranged one on the another to form a fuel cell stack and may be arranged in a open-topped box-like housing charged with a nonconducting high viscous melt.

Abstract: A method for starting fuel cell power systems comprises heating a fuel cell stack to a predetermined operating temperature with a circulating heat-exchanger fluid, while feeding a pressurized inert gas into a pressure vessel and process gas chambers of the fuel cell stack to increase pressures in the process gas chambers and pressure vessel to a predetermined pressure, detecting a temperature of the stack and a pressure of the inert gas in the process gas chambers, and controlling a vapor pressure in the inert gas fed to said chambers in proportion to the detected temperature and pressure in the process gas chambers so that a volume of an electrolyte is approximately kept constant.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a metal/hydrogen alkaline storage battery, which comprises a positive electrode of a metal oxide, a negative electrode of a hydrogen-storage alloy, and a separator impregnated with an alkaline electrolyte and placed between the positive and negative electrodes. The electrodes and separator are housed within a sealed type battery casing. The casing has a device for maintaining the pressure in the battery in a selected range of from an equilibrium pressure required for absorbing hydrogen by the negative electrode to about 20 kg/cm.sup.2.

Abstract: A zinc alkaline secondary battery possessed of an excellent cycle characteristic, having a negative electrode which comprises a base layer of zinc active material incorporating cadmium metal and/or a cadmium compound and an outer layer made up of cadmium metal and/or a cadmium compound and applied to the surface of the base layer of zinc active material.