Patent ID: 7468215

Claim:
A fuel cell assembly that is operative in a start-up stage and in a working stage, the assembly comprising: a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells, each of the fuel cells comprising an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte between the anode and the cathode; a fuel source in fluid communication with the anode; an air source in fluid communication with the cathode; a starting device in fluid communication with the air source and configured to provide initial air to the fuel cell stack; and a control system configured to detect an output voltage of the fuel cell stack and configured to control at least one of the air source and the fuel source to control the output voltage in the working stage and in the start-up stage, wherein in the working stage the at least one of the air source and the fuel source is controlled based on the output voltage detected using a negative feedback loop, and wherein in the start-up stage, the at least one of the air source and the fuel source is operated independent of the output voltage detected using a positive feedback loop.