Patent ID: 8449634

Claim:
A method of operating a hydrogen generating apparatus, the hydrogen generating apparatus comprising: a reformer configured to generate a hydrogen-containing gas from a material gas through a reforming reaction; a material gas feeding passage through which the material gas is fed to the reformer; a material gas feeding device which is provided on the material as feeding passage and is configured to control feeding of the material gas to the reformer; a combustor configured to combust a gas discharged from the reformer; an ignition device provided in the combustor; a combustible gas feeding passage through which the gas discharged from the reformer is fed to the combustor; a valve provided in the combustible gas feeding passage; and a gas passage located between the material gas feeding device and the valve, the method comprising steps of: during a stop period which is a period from a time when the valve is closed and the hydrogen generating apparatus is sealed to a start-up time of the hydrogen generating apparatus, performing a maintaining process in such a manner that the material gas feeding device feeds the material gas to the gas passage, to maintain a pressure in an interior of the gas passage at a value which is not smaller than a first threshold which is an atmospheric pressure or larger; and when an abnormality in the maintaining process is detected, feeding the material gas to the gas passage with an amount which is larger than an amount when there is no abnormality in the maintaining process, during a period which lapses from when the abnormality is detected until the ignition device starts an ignition operation in a start-up process.