Abstract: The object is to provide a simplified but highly efficient fuel cell system, permitting to perform the flame off detection and so on without supplying the burner with additional raw fuel, even if a flame rod system flame detection means is adopted as burner for reformer. The invention concerns a fuel cell system, comprising a reformer for reforming a hydrocarbon base fuel such as natural gas into hydrogen, a CO transformer, a CO eliminator, a fuel cell for generating electricity from hydrogen, and a burner for reformer for burning hydrogen gas discharged from the fuel cell and supply the reformer with heat necessary for reforming reaction, wherein the burner for reformer is provided with a flame rod system flame detection means and, at the same time, supplied with hydrogen gas containing a flame detectable amount of fuel gas.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a fuel reformer for reforming a hydrocarbon base fuel into a hydrogen rich gas, the fuel reformer of claim 1, wherein at least a part of material composing the reformer is a material containing at least Cr, Ni, Si, made of Cr 15 to 25 mass %, Ni 8 to 35 mass %, Si 2 to 4 mass % and the remaining ingredients of Fe and inevitable impurities (C, Mn, P, S or others) provides the sigma brittleness resistance and the cementation resistance at the same time, and also a light weight, low cost and cheap price, high reliability, and long life, the fuel reformer of claim 2 of the present invention wherein at least a part of material composing the reformer is a material containing at least Cr, Ni, Si, Nb, and made of Cr 15 to 25 mass %, Ni 8 to 35 mass %, Si 2 to 4 mass %, Nb 0.

Abstract: The present invention provides a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell power generating equipment that keeps temperature of coolant of a fuel cell in a predetermined temperature range without stop operation of the equipment even when a hot water reserving tank is filled with hot water and the hot water is not discharged to the outside, automatically prevents freezing of a water system during stop operation of the equipment, minimizes maintenance work in a cold region or in the winter season, has high reliability with equipment's service life extended, and supplies hot water heated by efficiently recovering exhaust heat from plural heat exchangers installed in the equipment to the hot water reserving tank. The power generating equipment has a line for circulating and feeding hot water A produced by exchanging heat in the heat exchanger connected to a process gas burner for burning hydrogen until the equipment becomes stable in starting operation.

Abstract: A plurality of distributed power generation systems are connected via the Internet to a managing apparatus in a managing company. A power company communicates with the managing apparatus via another line. At peak times of power consumption in the midsummer and so forth, the power company requests the managing company to supply the power. The managing company controls to remotely set generation capacity of the distributed generation systems at maximum so as to reverse surplus power therefrom to a power system. A normal power rate is discounted for a user of the distributed generation system for his/her cooperation with the power company. The managing company charges the power company based on the surplus electric energy supplied to the power company.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a fuel reformer for reforming a hydrocarbon base fuel in to a hydrogen rich gas and a manufacturing method thereof, and the fuel reformer of the present invention wherein a Cr oxide layer is formed on at least a part of the surface of steel material making the reformer produces no red scale through water vapor oxidation of the surface of steel material making the reformer, even when exposed to an atmosphere of low oxygen concentration and/or high water vapor concentration under a high temperature and has an extremely important industrial utility value because it is highly heat resistant, light, low cost and cheap, highly reliable and long life, and moreover a cheap, highly reliable and long life fuel reformer can be manufactured at a low cost and easily by the manufacturing method of the present invention.