Patent ID: 7976995

Claim:
A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of laminated cells, each of the laminated cells including an electrolyte membrane interposed between a fuel electrode receiving a supply of fuel gas and an oxidizing agent electrode receiving a supply of oxidizing agent gas; a fuel gas supply device that supplies a fuel gas to the fuel electrode; an oxidizing agent gas supply device that supplies an oxidizing agent gas to the oxidizing agent electrode; a fuel electrode side discharge system that discharges a discharge gas from the fuel electrode to an external; a circulation device that recirculates the discharge gas discharged from the fuel electrode into an upstream side of the fuel electrode; a voltage limit device that limits a voltage across the fuel cell stack by drawing a current from the fuel cell stack at a time of an activation of the fuel cell system; and a controller configured to, at the time of the activation of the fuel cell system, delay the supply of the oxidizing agent gas to the oxidizing agent electrode from the oxidizing agent gas supply device, inhibit a discharge of the discharge gas to the external through the fuel electrode side discharge system, and start the supply of fuel gas to the fuel electrode from the fuel gas supply device in a state where the discharge gas is circulated through the fuel cell by the circulation device, then start the supply of oxidizing agent gas to the oxidizing agent electrode.