Patent ID: 7276305

Claim:
A method of operating a fuel cell having a fuel electrode to which a fuel is supplied, an oxidant electrode to which an oxidant is supplied, a layer of an electrolyte having hydrogen ion conductivity sandwiched between the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode, a fuel channel for supplying the fuel to the fuel electrode, and an oxidant channel for supplying the oxidant to the oxidant electrode, the method comprising: supplying the fuel to the fuel electrode with the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode electrically interconnected to produce hydrogen at the oxidant electrode by provoking electrochemical reactions expressed by the chemical equations H 2 →2H + +2e − and 2H + +2e − →H 2 at the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode, respectively, producing an oxidant electrode reduction process using the hydrogen produced at the oxidant electrode, and thereby reducing oxides deposited on the oxidant electrode, at a startup operation, from a non-operating condition; and then supplying the oxidant to the oxidant electrode to begin continuing operation of the fuel cell after the startup operation.