Patent ID: 7247402

Claim:
A power generator, comprising: a chamber containing at least a portion of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), the SOFC comprising: an anode; an electrolyte membrane connected with the anode; a cathode connected with the electrolyte membrane; and a spiral-wound counter-current heat exchanger encompassing the chamber, the spiral-wound counter-current heat exchanger including walls that form a first passageway and an second passageway, both the first passageway and the second passageway are connected with the chamber and run adjacent to one another in a spiral around the chamber and lead to an exterior of the power generator, whereby the first passageway functions as a first inlet and the second passageway functions as an outlet, such that reactants introduced into the power generator flow into the first inlet from the exterior of the power generator and past the SOFC where the reactants react to release energy and reaction products, the reaction products thereafter leave the SOFC through the outlet and thereby transfer heat to incoming reactants in the adjacent inlet, and subsequently exit through the outlet.