Hydrogen generation apparatus, fuel cell system, and hydrogen generation apparatus operation method

Abstract

A hydrogen generation apparatus () includes: a first desulfurizer () configured to remove, through adsorption, a sulfur compound in a raw material gas that is to be supplied to a reformer; a second desulfurizer () configured to hydrodesulfurize a sulfur compound in the raw material gas that is to be supplied to the reformer; a first passage () through which the raw material gas is supplied to the reformer through the first desulfurizer (); a second passage () through which the raw material gas is supplied to the reformer through the second desulfurizer (), without passing through the first desulfurizer (); a switch configured to switch a passage through which the raw material gas flows between the first passage () and the second passage (); and a controller. The controller controls the switch such that the raw material gas flows through the first passage () in at least one of a pressure compensation operation and a raw material gas purge operation, the pressure compensation operation being an operation of supplying the raw material gas in order to compensate for an internal pressure drop that occurs after an operation of generating a hydrogen-containing gas is stopped, and the raw material gas purge operation being an operation of purging the inside of the hydrogen generation apparatus with the raw material gas.