Patent ID: 7862939

Claim:
A fuel cell assembly comprising a housing defining an electricity generation/combustion chamber, cells provide within the electricity generation/combustion chamber, a first channel disposed within the housing, said first channel extending in the up-and-down direction and the upper portion of said first channel communicating with the chamber, a second channel disposed within the housing and outside of the first channel, said second channel extending in the up-and-down direction, and a communication gas chamber disposed within the housing and inside of the first channel, the communication gas chamber extending in the up-and-down direction and the top of the communication gas chamber being communicated with the second channel, one of an oxygen-containing gas and a fuel gas is supplied to the electricity generation/combustion chamber through the second channel and the communication gas chamber in this sequence, and a combustion gas formed within the electricity generation/combustion chamber is discharged from the electricity generation/combustion chamber through the first channel, wherein said electricity generation/combustion chamber is a chamber that is electricity generating and a combustor.