Fuel cell and method of operating the same

A fuel cell system comprising:

• a first insulated enclosure substantially enclosing a first interior space maintained at a temperature greater than ambient;
• a plurality of fuel cells maintained at an elevated temperature so as to maximize efficiency of an electrical current generating reaction at the fuel cells;
• a second insulated enclosure positioned within the first interior space and substantially enclosing a second interior space thermally insulated from the first interior space and additionally the plurality of fuel cell stacks, the second interior space being maintained at a temperature greater than the temperature of the first interior space and approximately equal to the elevated temperature of the fuel cell stacks;
• and
• a plurality of non-superalloy metallic elements located in the first insulated enclosure, the temperature of the first interior space being sufficiently low such that exposure of the non-superalloy metallic elements to at least one of an oxidizing gas stream and a reducing gas stream does not degrade the non-superalloy metallic elements.