Method of delivering fuel and air to a fuel cell system

A method comprising:

• (a) providing an organic fuel storage tank and an organic fuel therein, and wherein the organic fuel is in a liquid phase and contains more than 1 part per million sulfur;
• (b) providing a sulfur trap including an adsorbent for adsorbing sulfur-containing species in the organic fuel, and wherein the sulfur trap adsorbent must be heated to an elevated operating temperature to effectively adsorb sulfur-containing species;
• (c) providing a vapor canister including an adsorbent for adsorbing organic fuel vapors and providing organic fuel vapors adsorbed in the vapor canister, and wherein the organic fuel vapors contain no more than 1 part per million sulfur;
• (d) providing a fuel processor including a catalyst therein for processing the organic fuel to produce hydrogen;
• (e) providing a fuel cell including a catalyst therein, and wherein the fuel cell is constructed and arranged to use hydrogen to produce electricity;
• (f) monitoring the temperature of the adsorbent in the sulfur trap to determine if the adsorbent is at an elevated operating temperature sufficient to remove sulfur-containing constituent from liquid fuel so that the liquid fuel exiting the sulfur trap contains no more than 1 part per million sulfur;
• (g) performing steps h-l while the temperature of the adsorbent in the sulfur trap is below the elevated operating temperature;
• (h) purging at least a portion of the organic fuel vapors from the vapor canister;
• (i) charging the fuel processor with the organic fuel vapors;
• (j) processing at least a portion of the organic fuel vapors in the fuel processor to produce hydrogen;
• (k) charging the fuel cell with the hydrogen produced in the fuel cell processor from the organic fuel vapors to produce electricity;
• (l) heating the adsorbent in the sulfur trap to the elevated operating temperature;
• (m) performing steps n-w while the temperature of the adsorbent in the sulfur trap is at or above the elevated operating temperature;
• (n) removing organic fuel from the fuel storage tank;
• (o) pumping the organic fuel from the fuel storage tank to an elevated pressure;
• (p) heating the fuel from the fuel storage tank to an elevated temperature and maintaining the fuel in the liquid phase;
• (q) flowing the fuel from the fuel storage tank at the elevated pressure and elevated temperature through the sulfur trap so that the adsorbent in the fuel trap removes sulfur-containing species from the organic fuel and so that the organic fuel contains no more than 1 part per million sulfur;
• (r) reducing the pressure of the organic fuel containing no more than 1 parts per million sulfur to provide a liquid fuel and a vapor fuel;
• (s) separating the liquid fuel from the vapor fuel;
• (t) charging the fuel processor with the liquid fuel;
• (u) processing the liquid fuel to produce hydrogen;
• (v) delivering the hydrogen produced in the fuel processor from the liquid fuel to the fuel cell to produce electricity;
• and
• (w) charging the vapor canister with the vapor fuel so that the vapor fuel is adsorbed onto the adsorbent in the fuel canister.