Patent ID: 6989208

Claim:
A method for operating a fuel cell power plant to provide end-use electricity, end-use heat and end-use reformate, comprising the steps of: providing a fuel cell power plant that consumes reformate to provide electricity and heat, said fuel cell power plant having a nominal reformate flow rate and including a fuel processor system for generating reformate from a hydrocarbon fuel; operating said fuel processor system so as to provide a reformate flow at a rate greater than said nominal reformate flow rate; operating said fuel cell power plant using a first portion of said reformate flow to generate said electricity and said heat, said first portion being less than or equal to said nominal reformate flow rate; and providing a second portion of said reformate flow as said end-use reformate, wherein said fuel cell power plant includes a fuel cell stack, and said second portion is separated from said first portion upstream of said fuel cell stack.