Patent ID: 7482073

Claim:
A fuel cell system, comprising: a first stage; and a second stage succeeding the first stage, each of the first and second stages including at least one fuel cell block, an operating-gas feed and an operating-gas discharge, the operating-gas feed of the first stage being connected to a supply of pure hydrogen and pure oxygen and the operating-gas discharge of the first stage being connected to the operating-gas feed of the second stage such that each of the at least one fuel cell blocks of the first stage is connected in parallel to the at least one fuel cell blocks of the second stage, an end stage succeeding the second stage, wherein the end stage substantially consumes operating gases from preceding stages to minimize exhaust gases produced during operation of the fuel cell system, wherein the first stage includes a first number of fuel cells and the second stage includes a second number of fuel cells, the second number of fuel cells in the second stage, is from 30% to 35% of the first number of fuel cells in the first stage, and further wherein the fuel cell blocks are operated with pure oxygen and pure hydrogen and the fuel cell system is operated in a hermetically sealed space.