Patent ID: 7736815
Filing Date: 2010-06-15
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a fuel cell system, the method comprising the steps of: a) detecting, using a combustible gas detector, leakage of a combustible gas which is a hydrogen-rich gas or a raw fuel gas within a package accommodating a fuel cell stack and a hydrogen-rich gas supplier configured to supply hydrogen-rich gas; b) injecting the combustible gas intermittently into the package through a combustible gas guide pipe; and c) determining whether or not detection sensitivity of the combustible gas is proper based on an output value of the combustible gas detector when step b) is preformed, wherein: the hydrogen-rich gas supplier is a reformer configured to generate the hydrogen-rich gas from raw fuel gas; and step b) further includes the step of injecting the raw fuel gas under a stopped state of the reformer and the hydrogen-rich gas during an operation of the reformer as a gas injected toward the combustible gas detector through the combustible gas guide pipe configured to branch from a position in a hydrogen supply passage extending between the reformer and an anode of the fuel cell stack.