Solid oxide fuel cell device

A solid oxide fuel cell system for generating electricity by causing an electro-chemical reaction of a fuel gas and an oxidation gas, comprising:

• solid oxide fuel cells disposed within a solid oxide fuel cell module which is thermally prepared for generation of electricity through a series of startup operations comprising an auto-thermal reforming reaction (ATR) operation, and a steam reforming reaction (SR) operation;
• a reformer that reforms fuel gas and supplies the fuel gas to the fuel cells;
• a temperature detector that detects a reforming state temperature in order to change a state of reforming reaction which occurs in the reformer;
• and
• a controller programed to control the operations of the fuel cell module, the controller comprising a startup control device programed to control the startup operations of the fuel cell module, and a stop control device programed to control a stop operation of the fuel cell module,
• wherein the startup control device is programed to execute a combustion operation to rise a temperature of the reformer with heat of the combusting fuel gas when, after the fuel gas is ignited and caused to combust, the reforming state temperature detected by the temperature detector is lower than an ATR starting temperature at which the ATR operation is able to start,
• the startup control device is further programed to execute the ATR operation to raise the temperature of the reformer when the reforming state temperature is equal to or greater than a temperature at which a steam reforming reaction is able to occur and falls within an ATR temperature range below a predetermined steady state temperature,
• the startup control device is further programed to execute the SR operation to raise the temperature of the reformer when the reforming state temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined steady state temperature, and
• wherein the startup control device is further programed to restart the startup operations directly from the SR operation without performing the ATR operation when the reforming state temperature falls in a high temperature region within the ATR temperature range, in response to a restart request if received when the reforming state temperature is within the ATR temperature range while the stop control device is performing the stop operation to thereby cause the fuel cell module to be cooling down from a high temperature.