NOVELTY - Starting a fuel processor, involves supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor at a first equivalence ratio to ignite the combined fuel and oxygen-containing reactant streams; supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor at a second equivalence ratio to heat the fuel processor until a threshold temperature is reached; and supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor at a third equivalence ratio to produce the syngas stream.    USE - For starting fuel processor for producing syngas stream comprising hydrogen and carbon-monoxide (claimed) useful in fuel cell, and engine.    ADVANTAGE - The method provides reactant to the fuel processor in the equivalence ratio is controlled in a step-wise procedure, thus rapidly heats the fuel processor, and obtained desired temperature range until a hydrogen-containing gas stream is needed; and prepares syngas stream in a short period of time, once the engine has started. The fuel processor is a non-catalytic fuel processor.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Starting a fuel processor to produce a syngas stream comprising hydrogen and carbon-monoxide from a fuel reactant stream and an oxygen-containing reactant stream, involves supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor at a first equivalence ratio to ignite the combined fuel and oxygen-containing reactant streams; supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor at a second equivalence ratio to heat the fuel processor until a threshold temperature is reached; and supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor at a third equivalence ratio to produce the syngas stream. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for operating a fuel processor to produce a syngas stream from a fuel reactant stream and an oxygen-containing reactant stream, involving supplying the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream at an equivalence ratio to the fuel processor to produce the syngas stream; lowering the equivalence ratio prior to shutting down the fuel processor in order to increase an amount of carbon produced in the syngas stream; collecting the carbon within the fuel processor; interrupting supply of the fuel reactant stream and the oxygen-containing reactant stream to the fuel processor to shut-down the fuel processor; and re-starting the fuel processor to produce the syngas stream, where the carbon collected within the fuel processor is converted to increase syngas output during the re-starting of the fuel processor.