Abstract: The control system (10) utilizes an oxygen sensor (78) to sense an oxygen concentration within a burner exhaust (66) of a fuel processing system (40), wherein the burner device (44) utilizes an anode exhaust stream from a fuel cell (12) to supply heat to a reformer (48). If the anode utilization by the fuel cell (12) anode (14) exceeds an acceptable range, less hydrogen is available for the burner device (44) and more oxygen will therefore be sensed by the oxygen sensor. An oxygen sensor controller (80), in response to the increase in sensed oxygen, increases flow of a fuel feedstock (42) into the reformer (48) to provide more hydrogen fuel to the anode (14) to thereby return anode utilization to an acceptable anode utilization range. An opposite control sequence occurs if anode utilization falls below the acceptable range.

Abstract: Fuel from a source (6) passes through a hydrogen desulfurizer (8) and a proportioning mixing valve (10) to a CPO (31), the temperature of the output of the CPO being monitored (50) to provide a signal (51) which a controller (52) utilizes to adjust the valve (10). The output of the CPO may be passed through a water gas shift reactor (35) and a preferential CO oxidizer (40) to provide fuel to a fuel cell system (26). The air provided to the valve (10) may be humidified, such as by an enthalpy recovery device (21) receiving the oxidant outflow (24) from the fuel cell system.