Fuel cell apparatus for internal reforming

Claim 1

Apparatus comprising: a number of one or more first fuel cells arranged in a first stack, the first cells having respective first end faces which are aligned and respective second end faces which are aligned, each first cell including a sandwich construction of an anode chamber, an anode electrode, an electrolyte, a cathode electrode and a cathode chamber, each anode chamber extending between the first and second end faces of its respective first cell and having a gas entry port adjacent the first end face and a gas exit port adjacent the second end face; a catalyst chamber in heat conducting relationship with the first stack and running in the direction of the anode chambers of said first cells, said catalyst chamber having a gas entry port adjacent the second end faces of said first cells and a gas exit port adjacent the first end faces of said first cells; a catalyst for endothermic reforming of the hydrocarbon content of a fuel disposed in one of more of said anode chambers and said catalyst chamber, the catalyst in said catalyst chamber being disposed from the gas entry port of said catalyst chamber to a point short of the gas exit port of said catalyst chamber and the catalyst in said one or more anode chambers being partially disposed in each of its respective anode chambers from the gas entry port of the chamber to a point short of the gas exit port; and first means for coupling the gas exit port of said catalyst chamber to the gas entry ports of the anode chambers of said first cells.