PURPOSE: To make it possible to carry out a series of processes to bake, to start to raise temperature, and to generate the power of a new cell even though other cells are being operated, by providing a recycle fan to feed a gas to a fuel chamber and to an oxidizer chamber, and to collect the exhaust gas of the cell concurrently, when the gas for baking the fuel cell stack is fed.
CONSTITUTION: Before the starting to raise the temperature of a cell stack 1, a fuel gas input valve 4, a fuel gas output valve 6, an oxidizer gas input valve 15, and an oxidizer gas output valve 17 are all closed, and a process gas to be used commonly with other fuel cells in not fed. And, when the cell stack 1 is started to raise the temperature and the baking of the cell is started, the oxidizer gas is fed to an oxidizer electrode chamber 3 and to a fuel electrode chamber 2 simultaneously. That is, circulation fans 13 for the oxidizer electrode and the fuel electrode are used in the cell baking process, while the hydrocarbon in the gas once exhausted is removed by gas purifiers 8, and the exhaust gas is led in the cell again in the recirculation process. In such a way, the amount of the inert gas necessary for baking can be also reduced.
OTSUKA KEIZO
KAHARA TOSHIKI
TAKASHIMA TADASHI
TAKAHASHI TSUTOMU
