Patent ID: 8096109

Claim:
A system comprising a fuel cell and an internal-combustion engine having an exhaust gas system wherein said system is configured such that a thermal energy flow of the internal-combustion engine is thermally coupled with a thermal energy flow of the fuel cell, wherein exhaust gas flow from the internal-combustion engine flows essentially around the fuel cell, the system configured such that the exhaust gas flow of the internal-combustion engine, in addition to flowing essentially around the fuel cell, flows essentially around at least one of an exhaust gas afterburner for processing exhaust gas and a reformer for processing fuel, wherein the fuel cell and at least one of the afterburner and the reformer is disposed in a housing that is arranged inside a pipe carrying the internal combustion engine exhaust gases, and wherein the system is configured such that the exhaust gas flow flows directly around the housing or acts upon an exterior side of the housing.