Patent ID: 6905791

Claim:
A method of operating a fuel cell system, said method comprising: configuring at least one fuel cell within said system to include an anode, a cathode and a membrane disposed between said anode and said cathode; defining an operational sequence of said system to include a period of system activity wherein fuel is reacted with oxygen to produce electricity and at least one reaction product; arranging an infeed device to selectively introduce a chemical compound that upon mixing with said at least one reaction product lowers the freezing temperature of said at least one reaction product; configuring a data storage device to record at least one of a temperature inside said fuel cell and an ambient temperature over a repeated time interval such that said at least one of said ambient temperature and said temperature inside said fuel cell sensed over said repeated time interval defines a historical value database; sensing at least one temperature indicative of the temperature of said at least one fuel cell; analyzing said historical value database to determine whether said sensed temperature indicates the attainment of a fuel cell temperature below that of a predetermined threshold temperature; generating a temperature-based control signal as a first control signal when said sensed temperature is below that of said predetermined threshold temperature; and activating said infeed device upon generation of said temperature-based control signal.