Patent ID: 7758984

Claim:
A method of operating a shift reactor for a fuel cell comprising a shift catalyst layer comprising a shift catalyst, a pyrophoric layer that comprises a pyrophoric material that spontaneously oxidizes when coming into contact with oxygen to generate heat and wherein the pyrophoric layer contacts the shift catalyst layer, an inlet through which reactants flow into the shift reactor at an inlet side of the shift reactor, an outlet through which products flow out of the shift reactor at an outlet side of the shift reactor, and at least one oxygen supply duct that controllably supplies oxygen to the shift reactor in an amount that oxidizes the shift catalyst or the pyrophoric layer and raises the temperature of the shift reactor and wherein the oxygen supply duct is positioned at the outlet side of the shift reactor, the method comprising: increasing the temperature of the shift catalyst layer by supplying oxygen into the shift reactor through the at least one oxygen supply duct positioned at the outlet side of the shift reactor; and supplying reformed fuel into the shift reactor when the temperature of any region of the shift reactor catalyst layer is above the dew point of the reformed fuel wherein when the temperature of all regions of the shift catalyst layer is below the dew point of the reformed fuel, reformed fuel is not supplied into the shift reactor and oxygen is supplied into the shift reactor.