Patent ID: 7887975

Claim:
A solid oxide fuel cell comprising: a plurality of solid oxide fuel cell tubes providing exhaust fluid to an exhaust zone and a current collector, the current collector electrically connecting the inner electrode of a first solid oxide fuel cell tube to an outer electrode of a second solid oxide fuel cell tube, wherein the current collector comprises an inner core of high conductivity metal and an outer cladding of an environmentally isolating alloy, wherein an anode portion of the current collector contacts an anode of a first solid oxide fuel cell tube of the plurality such that the electrons are conducted from the anode, through the environmentally isolating alloy to the conductive core of the current collector, wherein a cathode portion of the current contacts a cathode portion of the solid oxide fuel cell tube to transfer electrons from the current collector to the cathode portion of the fuel cell tube, and wherein an interconnect portion of the current collector comprises both the inner core of high conductivity metal and the outer cladding of the environmentally isolating alloy and is located between the anode portion and the cathode portion, and is positioned in a hot exhaust zone of the fuel cell tubes.