Electrochemical cell apparatus having an exterior fuel mixer nozzle

A high temperature electrochemical apparatus, operating with a gaseous oxidant and a fresh gaseous feed fuel, comprising:

• a fresh gaseous feed fuel inlet, gaseous feed oxidant inlet, hot gaseous spent fuel recirculation channel, and separate combusted exhaust gas exit channel, a generator chamber containing a plurality of electrochemical cells, each cell having an exterior fuel electrode and an interior air electrode, a combustion chamber where hot gaseous spent fuel and hot gaseous spent oxidant combust to form combusted exhaust gas, and a reforming chamber containing reforming material;
• where a portion of hot spent fuel from the generator chamber is fed through the hot spent fuel recirculation channel to contact the reforming chamber and the outside of a mixer chamber, causing heat transfer from the hot spent fuel to the reforming chamber and the mixer chamber, and where fresh feed fuel mixes with hot spent fuel at a mixer nozzle, located at the entrance to the mixer chamber, after the hot spent fuel contacts the outside of the mixer chamber, and the mixture of the two pass into the mixer chamber to be heated by hot spent fuel and then pass through the reforming material in the reforming chamber and then pass into the generating chamber, where the combusted exhaust gas exits the apparatus, and where the mixer chamber and mixer nozzle are exterior to the main body of the apparatus and substantially spaced apart from the combustion chamber and the generator chamber.