Patent ID: 7422810

Claim:
A solid oxide fuel cell system, comprising: a combustor comprising a combustor conduit; a plurality of solid oxide fuel cell stacks; and a reformer adapted to reform a hydrocarbon fuel to a hydrogen containing reaction product and to provide the reaction product to the stacks; wherein: at least one wall of the reformer facing at least one of the plurality of the solid oxide fuel cell stacks is adapted to be heated by cathode exhaust of the stacks, and the reformer is adapted to be heated by the combustor which is thermally integrated with the reformer via the combustor conduit, and by at least one of radiative and convective heating from the stacks across a gap between the stacks and the reformer; the reformer surrounds the combustor conduit; the plurality of solid oxide fuel cell stacks surround the reformer, such that the reformer is sandwiched between the combustor conduit and the plurality of the solid oxide fuel cell stacks; and the at least one wall of the reformer in combination with the stacks form a cathode exhaust conduit of the stacks.