Patent ID: 8765314

Claim:
A method of suspending an operation of a fuel cell system comprising a fuel generator which generates a fuel gas containing at least hydrogen from a raw material gas, a fuel cell which generates electric power from the fuel gas generated by the fuel generator and an oxidizing agent gas, a switch which switches on or off an output of the electric power from the fuel cell, a fuel gas supplying unit which supplies the fuel gas into the fuel cell, an oxidizing agent gas supplying unit which supplies the oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell, a gas purifying unit which purifies the raw material gas by removing materials adversely affecting the fuel cell, and a raw material gas supplying unit which supplies the raw material gas into the fuel generator via the gas purifying unit, a first step of causing the switch to switch off the output of the electric power from the fuel cell, a second step of causing the fuel gas supplying unit to suspend supply of the fuel gas into the fuel cell on an anode side thereof; a third step of causing the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit to suspend supply of the oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell on a cathode side thereof; a fourth step of causing the raw material gas supplying unit to supply the raw material gas to the gas purifying unit; and a fifth step of supplying a purified raw material gas purified by the gas purifying unit to the fuel cell from, an inlet side of a cathode and purging the oxidizing agent gas in the fuel cell by the purified raw material gas.