Patent ID: 8580445

Claim:
A method for minimizing carbon corrosion in a fuel cell system, the method comprising the steps of: providing a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuels cells, each of the fuel cells including an electrolyte membrane disposed between an anode and a cathode; providing an anode supply manifold and an anode exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the anodes of the fuel cells, wherein the anode supply manifold is in fluid communication with a source of hydrogen gas; providing a recycle loop fluidly coupling the anode supply manifold and the anode exhaust manifold; performing a shutdown procedure, wherein hydrogen gas is present in the anodes and the cathodes after the shutdown procedure is complete; generating a flow through the anode supply manifold, across the anodes of the fuel cell stack, through the anode exhaust manifold, and back to the anode supply manifold through the recycle loop after the shutdown procedure is complete, wherein the flow mixes the hydrogen gas with air; and maintaining a substantially uniform hydrogen gas concentration between the anode supply manifold, the anode exhaust manifold, and the fuel cells while the fuel cell system is shutdown.