Air distributors for metal-air cells

A ventilation system for one or more metal-air cells includes a distributor for uniformly distributing oxygen between oxygen electrodes in response to operation of an air moving device. The distributor may be further operative, or associated with one or more restrictive passageways that are operative, while unsealed to provide a barrier function that protects the metal-air cells from the ambient environment while the air moving device is not operating. The perforated member defines a plurality of apertures that at least partially define the reactant air flow path through which air is supplied to the metal-air cells. The perforated member may be a plate or an elongate ventilation passageway, such as a tube. The metal-air cells may be arranged in a stack, and a first of the apertures is more proximate to a first plenum defined between the cells than a second plenum defined between the cells, and a second of the apertures is more proximate to the second plenum that the first plenum. The air moving device may be mounted between protrusions of the cells. Each cell case may include a pair of unitary case portions, each of which has side walls extending from a panel in a common direction to define a cavity. For each cell, the side walls of a first case portion extend into the cavity of a second case portion.