Patent ID: 7416569

Claim:
A method of starting operation of a fuel gas production apparatus, said fuel gas production apparatus comprising: a reforming unit for reforming a hydrogen-containing fuel to obtain a reformed gas; and a refining unit including a pressure swing adsorption mechanism for removing impurities from said reformed gas to refine said reformed gas into a hydrogen-rich fuel gas, said pressure swing adsorption mechanism including adsorption towers, cleaning valves for connecting said adsorption towers with each other for cleaning, and off gas valves for discharging a gas remaining in said adsorption towers, said method comprising the steps of: detecting an operation suspension period of said pressure swing adsorption mechanism or an internal condition which varies depending on said operation suspension period; adjusting valve positions of at least either said cleaning valves or said off gas valves based on said operation suspension period or said internal condition detected in said detecting step; adjusting the valve positions of said cleaning valves such that openings if said cleaning valves get larger as said operation suspension period gets longer; adjusting the valve positions of said off gas valves are adjusted such that openings of said off gas valves gets smaller as said operation suspension period gets longer; and operating said pressure swing adsorption mechanism for a predetermined time in the adjusted valve positions, and then, adjusting the valve positions into valve positions of a normal operating condition.