Patent ID: 7732074

Claim:
A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell for generating power by chemically reacting a fuel gas supplied to an anode and an oxygen containing gas supplied to a cathode; an anode off-gas discharge mechanism for discharging an anode off-gas from said anode; a combustion heater for combusting a combustion gas wherein the combustion gas is at least one of either said anode off-gas or said fuel gas together with the oxygen containing gas, using a thermal energy obtained by the combustion, and heating said fuel cell; a dilution mechanism for diluting said anode off-gas by said oxygen containing gas; a first path for introducing said anode off-gas into said combustion heater; a first flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting an introduction amount of said anode off-gas into said first path; a second path for introducing said anode off-gas into said dilution mechanism; a second flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting an introduction amount of said anode off-gas into said second path; a third path for introducing said fuel gas into said combustion heater; and a third flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting an introduction amount of said fuel gas into said third path; and a control mechanism for controlling actuations of said first flow rate adjustment mechanism, of said second flow rate adjustment mechanism, and of said third flow rate adjustment mechanism.