Patent ID: 6869577

Claim:
A purifying system that purifies a combustion-exhaust gas emitted from a fuel reforming device operable to supply a fuel cell with a reformed fuel, the pufifying system comprising: an exhaust gas passage through which the combustion-exhaust gas emitted from the fuel reforming device is discharged; a purifying device connected to the exhaust gas passage and operable to purify the combustion-exhaust gas and including a catalyst that promotes an oxidizing reaction for purifying the combustion-exhaust gas; a controller that controls a temperature of the purifying device to be held within a selected range; a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the purifying device; and an oxidizing-gas introducing device that introduces an oxidizing gas directly into the purifying device; wherein the controller controls at least one of an amount of an anode-off gas discharged from an anode of the fuel cell and an amount of a reformed fuel produced by the fuel reforming device, which are introduced into the purifying device, in an amount sufficient to heat the purifying device to a temperature equal to or greater than a lower limit of the selected range, based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector, wherein the lower limit of the selected range is equal to or greater than a lowest temperature at which the catalyst is activated.