Abstract: A fuel cell arrangement operable in environments that are prone to explosions including a fuel cell stack 14 that is housed in a containment vessel 15 filled with a heat equalizing fluid 26 and provided with a cooling system. The heat equalizing fluid 26 flows around all sides of the fuel cell stack 14 and prevents a direct concentrated heat transfer from the surface of the fuel cell stack 14 to the containment housing 15. The heat equalizing fluid 26 buffers and distributes local heat peaks originating from the fuel cell stack 14 and thus eliminates ignition sources.

Abstract: To protect an encapsulated fuse (9) within a wholly enclosed sealed safety barrier having a first voltage limiting circuit (10) and a current limiting circuit (15), an externally accessible high current interrupter (5), such as a fuse, positive temperature coefficient resistor (26) or circuit breaker (27) is connected in series with an input terminal, and further serially connected with a second voltage limiting circuit (6) connected downstream of the interrupter and across the safety barrier circuit, the second voltage limiting circuit having a voltage limiting response characteristic which is, preferably, the same as the first voltage limiting circuit within the barrier, and the interrupter having a response threshold which is at least as high, but may be higher than the fuse (9) encapsulated within the circuit.