Patent ID: 8920997

Claim:
A fuel cell system, comprising: at least one fuel cell stack; a fuel inlet conduit; a fuel exhaust conduit; a fuel exhaust recycling conduit; an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO); a splitter; and a fuel heat exchanger containing a fuel reformation catalyst, wherein: the fuel heat exchanger is connected to the fuel inlet conduit and to the fuel exhaust conduit which in operation provides a high temperature exhaust stream from the fuel cell stack to the fuel heat exchanger; the fuel heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the splitter which is connected to the fuel exhaust recycling conduit which in operation recycles a first portion of the high temperature exhaust stream from the fuel heat exchanger via the splitter to the fuel inlet conduit; the splitter is fluidly connected to the ATO and provides a second portion of the high temperature exhaust stream to the ATO; and the first portion of the high temperature exhaust stream and the second portion of the high temperature exhaust stream have a same relative hydrogen content upon immediate output from the splitter.