Patent ID: 8617752

Claim:
A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell assembly; a compressor upstream of said fuel cell assembly, wherein said compressor includes an inlet in fluid communication with a source of fluid, said compressor adapted to compress and heat a first fluid; a heat exchanger disposed between and in fluid communication with an outlet of said compressor and an inlet of said fuel cell assembly, wherein the first fluid flows from the source of fluid into said compressor prior to flowing into said heat exchanger and said fuel cell assembly, and wherein the first fluid flow from an outlet of said heat exchanger is divided into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the first fluid flow is caused to flow to the inlet of said fuel cell assembly; and a first means for regulating flow in fluid communication with an outlet of said heat exchanger, wherein said first means for regulating flow selectively facilitates a flow of the second portion of the first fluid flow from the outlet of said heat exchanger to an inlet of said compressor.