Patent ID: 7939215

Claim:
A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell having an anode adapted to receive fuel and a cathode adapted to receive oxidant; an anode oxidizing assembly receiving output of said anode and input oxidant and reacting said input oxidant with said output of said anode to output oxidant gas for said cathode; a fuel supply assembly including a first fuel flow control part, said fuel supply assembly being adapted to supply fuel to said anode at a flow rate that is equal to or less than a first flow rate; a temperature sensor for sensing temperature in the anode oxidizing assembly; a low flow bypass assembly for directing fuel supplied by said fuel supply part to bypass said first fuel flow control part and to flow through said low flow bypass assembly, wherein the low flow bypass assembly limits the flow rate of fuel to a second flow rate smaller than said first flow rate; a control assembly for controlling the flow of fuel supplied by the fuel supply part through one of the fuel supply assembly and the low flow bypass assembly based on the temperature in the anode oxidizing assembly sensed by the temperature sensor, wherein the control assembly determines, based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, whether the temperature in the anode oxidizing assembly is within a predetermined temperature range and, if said control assembly determines that the temperature in the anode oxidizing assembly is within the predetermined temperature range, the control assembly directs the flow of fuel through the low flow bypass assembly.