Drive unit, method for providing power, and use of a drive unit

A method for operating a drive unit, comprising the steps of:

• providing air;
• converting a liquid fuel into a gaseous fuel in a ring-shaped fuel converter;
• carrying out a fuel cell process with the provided air and the gaseous fuel in a ring-shaped fuel cell device;
• feeding exhaust gas from the fuel cell device to a combustion chamber inlet of a combustion chamber;
• and
• combusting the fuel-containing exhaust gas within the combustion chamber, wherein the ring-shaped fuel cell device and the ring-shaped fuel converter are concentric.

An aircraft comprising at least one drive unit comprising:

• a combustion chamber for combusting a fuel/air mixture;
• a fuel cell device
• comprising at least one fuel cell comprising an anode couplable to a fuel line, a cathode couplable to an air source, and a fluid outlet, wherein the fuel cell is arranged upstream of the combustion chamber, and
• at least one ring-shaped fuel converter arranged between the fuel line and the fuel cell device, which fuel converter is adapted to provide a gaseous fuel from a liquid fuel,
• at least one compressor unit arranged upstream of the fuel cell device;
• at least one turbine unit arranged downstream of the combustion chamber;
• and
• at least one shaft interconnecting the at least one compressor unit and the at least one compressor unit,
• wherein the combustion chamber comprises a combustion chamber inlet for supplying the fuel/air mixture, and a combustion chamber outlet for discharging exhaust gas, and the combustion chamber inlet is connected to the fluid outlet of the fuel cell device, and
• wherein the at least one ring-shaped fuel converter is arranged coaxially about the at least one shaft.