Patent ID: 7767359

Claim:
An apparatus for producing water on board of an aircraft while using one or more fuel cells, comprising at least one high temperature fuel cell that has an anode side and a cathode side and that is integrated into a heat-producing arrangement of an aircraft engine, wherein the heat-producing arrangement optionally additionally includes at least one combustion chamber, wherein the high temperature fuel cell is adapted to carry out a fuel cell process and the optional combustion chamber is adapted to carry out a combustion process, characterized in that: the high temperature fuel cell is an oxide ceramic fuel cell (SOFC - solid oxide fuel cell), or a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), or a fuel cell that has a power and temperature level equivalent to an oxide ceramic fuel cell or a molten carbonate fuel cell; the apparatus includes a hydrogen supply that comprises a source of liquid or gaseous hydrogen and that is arranged and adapted to supply pure hydrogen to the anode side of said high temperature fuel cell; an air intake is arranged and adapted to supply air to the cathode side of said high temperature fuel cell; the hydrogen supply and the air intake are further arranged and adapted to supply a mixture of hydrogen and air to the combustion chamber; at least the hydrogen supply is constructed for a closed loop control or can be shut off completely; the apparatus further includes a liquid hydrogen evaporator positioned upstream of the high temperature fuel cell or the combustion chamber; and the apparatus further includes a single stage or multistage turbine ( 16 ) connected downstream of the anode side of the high temperature fuel cell, said turbine adapted to convert thermal energy of anode exhaust gas ( 35 ) into rotation energy.