Patent ID: 8637203

Claim:
A modular fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell module comprising a stack of a plurality of fuel cell elements between a first end plate and a second end plate wherein the first end plate has an anode gas inlet opening, a cathode gas inlet opening, an anode waste gas outlet opening and a cathode waste gas outlet opening on a connection side facing away from the stack, said anode gas inlet opening and said cathode gas inlet opening being defined by a first connection side portion of said connection side, said anode waste gas outlet opening and said cathode waste gas outlet opening being defined by a second connection side portion of said connection side, said second connection side portion being located at a spaced location from said first connection side portion; a burner-heat exchanger module comprising an anode gas distributor, a cathode gas distributor, a waste gas distributor, a heat exchanger for preheating cathode gas and a burner for reacting fuel cell waste gases, said waste gas distributor being arranged on one side of said burner, said anode gas distributor and said cathode opening distributor being arranged on another side of said burner, the burner-heat exchanger module having an anode gas outlet opening communicatingly connected to the anode gas inlet opening, a cathode gas outlet opening communicatingly connected to the cathode gas inlet opening, an anode waste gas inlet opening communicatingly connected to the anode waste gas outlet opening, and a cathode waste gas inlet opening communicatingly connected to the cathode waste gas outlet opening, and said waste gas distributor box connects the anode waste gas inlet opening and the cathode waste gas inlet opening to the anode waste gas outlet opening communicating with a combustion chamber of the burner and to the cathode waste gas outlet opening communicating with the combustion chamber in such a way that the media are separated from one another.