Patent ID: 7811712

Claim:
A method for operating a fuel cell system, said fuel cell system comprising a material gas feeder configured to supply a material gas; a reformer configured to reform the material gas into a hydrogen-containing gas; a fuel cell; a combustor configured to burn the material gas or the hydrogen-containing gas to supply heat to said reformer; and a communication passage configured to connect said material gas feeder, said reformer, said fuel cell and said combustor in order such that they are communicated with one another, said method comprising: a step (A) of determining whether or not an emergency stop has occurred in said fuel cell system; and a step (B) of causing said material gas feeder to supply the material gas to at least a part of a hydrogen-containing gas flow path constituted by said reformer and said communication passage located between said reformer and said combustor before a next ignition operation of said combustor, if it is determined that the emergency stop has occurred in said fuel cell system.