Fuel cell module

A fuel cell module comprising:

• a fuel cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells for generating electricity by electrochemical reactions of a fuel gas and an oxygen-containing gas;
• a reformer for reforming a mixed gas of a raw fuel chiefly containing hydrocarbon and water vapor to produce the fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell stack;
• an evaporator for evaporating water, and supplying the water vapor to the reformer;
• a heat exchanger for raising the temperature of the oxygen-containing gas by heat exchange with a combustion gas, and supplying the oxygen-containing gas to the fuel cell stack;
• an exhaust gas combustor for combusting the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell stack as a fuel exhaust gas and the oxygen-containing gas discharged from the fuel cell stack as an oxygen-containing exhaust gas to produce the combustion gas;
• and
• a start-up combustor for combusting the raw fuel and the oxygen-containing gas to produce the combustion gas,
• wherein the fuel cell module includes:
• a first are where the exhaust gas combustor and the start-up combustor are provided;
• an annular second area around the first area and where the reformer and the heat exchanger are provided;
• and
• an annular third area around the second area and where the evaporator is provided,
• and wherein a stress relaxing portion for relaxing heat stress is provided at least along a border between the first area and the second area along a border between the second area and the third area, or along an outermost portion of the third area.