TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Components: The water-recovery device may be a direct mass- and heat-transfer device that directs the process exhaust stream to pass within the device in mass transfer relationship with the process oxidant stream, so that water vapor and heat within the process exhaust stream pass directly through a mass transfer medium into the oxidant stream. The mass transfer medium sorbs fluid substance comprising polar molecules within the process exhaust stream and desorbs the fluid substance comprising polar molecules into the process oxidant stream. The water-recovery device may also be a condenser that directs the process exhaust stream to pass in heat exchange relationship with a cooling fluid to condense water out of the plant exhaust stream. The system may include a pressure controller for maintaining positive pressure differential between the process oxidant stream and the direct antifreeze solution, a direct antifreeze reservoir for supplying direct antifreeze into the direct antifreeze solution in the thermal management system, an oxidant mass-transfer device by-pass line for selectively directing the process oxidant stream to by-pass the device, a burner connected with an anode exhaust stream exiting the fuel cell, a boiler for receiving direct antifreeze solution from a discharge line, a steam separator for separating steam and liquid direct antifreeze from the boiler, and steam exhaust valve and vent for directing steam out of the plant.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Solution: The antifreeze solution is an alkanetriol direct antifreeze solution, preferably glycerol, butanetriol, or pentanetriol; or a special direct antifreeze solution having a freezing point of at least-20degreesF, a surface tension of greater than 60 dyne/cm at fuel cell operating temperature, an antifreeze partial pressure of 0.005 mm Hg at cell operating temperature, and a capacity of being oxidized by anode and cathode catalysts at fuel cell voltages.