Abstract: A device for evaporating and/or superheating a medium, in particular a hydrocarbon or a hydrocarbon/water mixture for a gas generation system of a fuel-cell plant, includes a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has, in its media-side region, at least one pair of films and in each case an inlet orifice and an outlet orifice which are connected in each case to a media space between the two films of the at least one pair of films. The media-side region is in thermally conductive contact with a region located on the heat transfer medium side. The media space is formed between the two films by depressions introduced on the medium-facing side of at least one of the films. The surface, facing away from the medium, in each case of at least one of the films of the at least one pair of films is provided with heat conducting ribs, the height of the heat conducting ribs being greater than the depth of the depressions.

Abstract: An evaporator unit in the form of a plate construction has evaporation spaces and heat transfer medium spaces respectively arranged between successive plates. The plates have an essentially circular construction and have recesses for forming inflow and outflow lines for the medium to be evaporated and for a heat transfer medium which extend perpendicularly to the plates. The inflow line for the medium to be evaporated is arranged in the area of the center of the circular plates. The outflow lines for the evaporated medium and for the heat transfer medium are arranged in the circumferential area of the circular plates. For the heat transfer medium, several inflow lines can be provided at a radial distance from the center of the circular plates between the inflow line and the outflow lines for the medium to be evaporated.