Patent ID: 7659019

Claim:
A thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel cell system, comprising: a fuel processing assembly comprising a hydrogen-producing region that contains a reforming catalyst, wherein the hydrogen-producing region is adapted to receive a feed stream containing at least a carbon-containing feedstock and water and, when the hydrogen-producing region is at least within a hydrogen-producing temperature range, to produce from the feed stream a reformate stream containing hydrogen gas as a majority component; a fuel cell stack adapted to receive an oxidant and a fuel stream containing hydrogen gas produced in the hydrogen-producing region, wherein the fuel cell stack is further adapted to generate a fuel cell power output from the fuel stream and the oxidant to satisfy an applied load from an energy-consuming device when a primary power source that is normally adapted to satisfy the applied load is not providing a primary power output to satisfy the applied load; a containment structure including an enclosure that defines an internal compartment containing at least the hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing assembly; a first heating assembly adapted to heat and maintain at least the internal compartment of the containment structure at or above a threshold temperature within the hydrogen-producing temperature range during periods in which there is no demand for the fuel cell system to generate the fuel cell power output, the fuel processing assembly is not producing the reformate stream, and the primary power source is providing the primary power output to satisfy the applied load; and a second heating assembly adapted to provide heat to at least the hydrogen-producing region of the fuel processing assembly when the fuel processing assembly is producing hydrogen gas and the primary power source is not providing the primary power output to satisfy the applied load; wherein the thermally primed hydrogen-producing fuel cell system is adapted to have a thermally biased response time to produce hydrogen gas with the fuel processing assembly upon a demand for the fuel cell system to generate the fuel cell power output, wherein the thermally biased response time is shorter than a startup response time of a comparative hydrogen-producing fuel cell system that includes the second heating assembly but that does not include the first heating assembly.