Patent ID: 7108929

Claim:
A unitary manifold assembly for use in controlling the flow of reactant gas streams between a plurality of fuel cell stacks in a fuel cell power plant, said manifold assembly comprising a single fuel gas passage having a plurality of fuel gas inlets for selective connection to a plurality of fuel cell stacks in a first stage of power plant fuel cell stacks, said fuel gas passage being operative to receive partially expended fuel gas streams exhausted from said plurality of fuel cell stacks and to combine said partially expended fuel gas streams into a combined fuel gas stream, and said fuel gas passage having a fuel gas outlet for directing the combined fuel gas stream to at least one second stage power plant fuel cell stack whereby the combined fuel gas stream is used to provide fuel for the second stage power plant fuel cell stack, the first and second fuel cell stack stages forming at least a part of a power section of the power plant; said manifold assembly further comprising a fuel gas exhaust passage for operative connection with fuel cell stacks in said second stage thereof, a fuel gas exhaust passage including a fuel gas inlet for receiving spent fuel gas from the fuel cell stacks in said second stage, and a fuel gas outlet for exhausting spent fuel gas from the power section of the power plant.