Patent ID: 7455923

Claim:
A fuel cell system including: a fuel cell assembly; and the fuel supply assembly for receiving a supply of liquid fuel feedstock including hydrocarbons having higher and lower hydrocarbon content and high molecular weight sulfur-containing compounds, the higher hydrocarbon content and high molecular weight sulfur containing compounds being less volatile that the lower hydrocarbon content, the fuel supply assembly supplying fuel to said fuel cell assembly and comprising: a housing unit adapted to house said liquid fuel feedstock so that the liquid fuel feedstock is subjected to vaporization conditions to allow at least a portion of said liquid fuel feedstock to vaporize to form fuel feedstock vapor, the vaporization conditions being such that the concentration of lower hydrocarbon content is higher and the concentration of higher hydrocarbon content and high molecular weight sulfur containing compounds is lower in said fuel feedstock vapor than in said liquid fuel feedstock; a collecting unit having a first end coupled with said housing unit and a second end adapted to be coupled with said fuel cell assembly, said collecting unit collecting said fuel feedstock vapor from said housing unit to make said fuel feedstock vapor available to said fuel cell assembly.