Patent ID: 8354068

Claim:
A method of driving a heating unit for a fuel cell reformer, the method comprising: supplying an oxidant in an absence of a fuel to the heating unit and absorbing the oxidant by a fuel oxidizing catalyst of the heating unit in an absence of a fuel; then supplying a fuel to the heating unit after the supplying of the oxidant and the absorbing of the oxidant by the fuel oxidizing catalyst, and absorbing the fuel by the fuel oxidizing catalyst of the heating unit, the fuel being supplied in an excessive amount at a stoichiometric ratio of the fuel to the oxidant ranging from 4:1 to 10:1, wherein the fuel oxidizing catalyst comprises a strong acid functional group capable of absorbing the supplied fuel; and subsequently supplying the fuel and the oxidant to the heating unit at a stoichiometric ratio of the fuel to the oxidant ranging from 1:1 to 2:1, wherein the heating unit generates heat through an oxidizing catalyst reaction between the fuel and the oxidant.