Patent ID: 7438987

Claim:
A fuel cell apparatus, comprising: a fuel cell body having an upper portion, sides, a bottom portion, and an interior, finely divided carbon particles of ten to one thousand micrometer-diameter, molten lithium, sodium, or potassium carbonate, wherein said finely divided carbon particles are distributed in said molten lithium, sodium, or potassium carbonate to form an electrolyte, an opening structure in said upper portion of said fuel cell body that allows said finely divided carbon particles distributed in said molten lithium, sodium, or potassium carbonate to be introduced into said interior of said fuel cell body, a gas containing oxygen, an opening structure in said upper portion of said fuel cell body that allows said gas containing oxygen to be introduced into said interior of said fuel cell body, a tilted anode structure that extends between said sides of said fuel cell body, a tilted cathode structure that extends between said sides of said fuel cell body, a tiled inert ceramic separator structure that extends between said sides of said fuel cell body, wherein said tiled inert ceramic separator structure is positioned between said tilted anode structure and said tilted cathode structure, and a drain and flow through port structure in one of said sides of said fuel cell body adjacent said tiled inert ceramic separator structure, wherein said drain and flow through port structure allows said finely divided carbon particles distributed in said molten lithium, sodium, or potassium carbonate electrolyte to drain to said bottom portion of said fuel cell body.