Operation method for hydrogen production device, and hydrogen production device

An operation method for a hydrogen production device, wherein the hydrogen production device comprises:

• a reforming processing unit provided with a compressor for a source gas supply for supplying the source gas that contains a hydrogen component, and a reformer for performing a steam reforming processing on the source gas in a state in which the reformer is heated to a reforming temperature by a heating burner to obtain a reformed gas that contains hydrogen components;
• a pressure swing adsorption unit provided with a plurality of adsorption towers configured to perform a pressure swing adsorption operation of adsorbing, using an adsorbent, adsorption target components other than the hydrogen components from the reformed gas to produce a product gas, and discharging the adsorption target components as off-gas;
• a product gas tank configured to collect the product gas;
• and
• an off-gas supply path configured to supply the off-gas as a burning fuel to the heating burner,
• the operation method comprising:
• executing, with the hydrogen production device, a product gas producing operation of supplying the source gas and steam to the reformer to produce the reformed gas, and
• supplying the reformed gas from the reforming processing unit to the adsorption towers to produce the product gas,
• wherein a stand-by operation is executed in which the product gas filling up the reforming processing unit is circulated in the form of returning to the compressor through a return line, in a state in which a gas supply line from the reforming processing unit to the pressure swing adsorption unit is blocked, wherein the adsorbent of the adsorption towers is maintained in a state in which the adsorption target components are desorbed, and wherein the supply of the steam is stopped and the heating of the reformer by the heating burner is maintained, and
• wherein, when the stand-by operation is stopped and the product gas producing operation is started, initial operation processing is executed in which immediately after the start, the source gas and steam are supplied to the reformer to produce the reformed gas, and the reformed gas from the reforming processing unit is supplied to the adsorption towers to produce the product gas, wherein if the hydrogen component concentration of the produced product gas is less than a set value, the product gas is discarded, and wherein if the hydrogen component concentration of the produced product gas is greater than or equal to the set value, the product gas producing operation in which the product gas is collected in the product gas tank is executed.