Patent ID: 8574775

Claim:
A method for starting up a fuel cell system comprising a reformer having a reforming catalyst layer, for reforming a hydrocarbon-based fuel to produce a hydrogen-containing gas, and a high temperature fuel cell for generating electric power using the hydrogen-containing gas, comprising: a) increasing a temperature of the reforming catalyst layer, while measuring the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer; b) calculating a flow rate of the hydrocarbon-based fuel that can be reformed in the reforming catalyst layer, based on the measured temperature of the reforming catalyst layer; and c) supplying the hydrocarbon-based fuel at the calculated flow rate to the reforming catalyst layer to reform the hydrocarbon-based fuel, and supplying the obtained reformed gas to an anode of the high temperature fuel cell, wherein a feed rate of the hydrocarbon-based fuel to the reforming catalyst layer is increased, while steps b and c are repeated, until the feed rate of the hydrocarbon-based fuel to the reforming catalyst layer becomes the flow rate at completion of start-up.