Direct Carbon Fuel Cell Operation on Brown Coal with a Ni-GDC-YSZ Anode

Rady, Adam C.; Giddey, Sarbjit; Kulkarni, Aniruddha; Badwal, S. P. S.; Bhattacharya, Sankar

doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2015.08.064

Cited by 31 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This was caused by the electrochemical oxidation of Ni into NiO at the electrolyte/anode interface, resulting in an increase in the ohmic resistance and in the charge transfer resistance ( Figure 21). 125 This could eventually be used to clarify the major performance loss in DCFCs.…”

Section: Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges in developing direct carbon fuel cells

et al. 2017

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A direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) can produce electricity with both superior electrical efficiency and fuel utilisation compared to all other types of fuel cells. Although the first DCFC prototype was proposed in 1896, there was, until the 1970s, little sustained effort to investigate further, because of technology development issues. Interest in DCFCs has recently been reinvigorated as a possible method of replacing conventional coal-fired power plants to meet the demands for lower CO emissions, and indeed for efficient utilisation of waste derived chars. In this article, recent developments in direct carbon conversion are reviewed, with the principal emphasis on the materials involved. The development of electrolytes, anodes and cathodes as well as fuel sources is examined. The activity and chemical stability of the anode materials are a critical concern addressed in the development of new materials. Redox media of molten carbonate or molten metal facilitating the transportation of ions offer promising possibilities for carbon oxidation. The suitability of different carbon fuels in various DCFC systems, in terms of crystal structure, surface properties, impurities and particle size, is also discussed. We explore the influence of a variety of parameters on the electrochemical performance of DCFCs, with regard to their open circuit voltage, power output and lifetime. The challenges faced in developing DCFCs are summarised, and potential prospects of the system are outlined.

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Section: Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges in developing direct carbon fuel cells

et al. 2017

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“…Based upon these preliminary investigations, upgraded coals seem to be adequate solid fuels for a DC-SOFC. The data existing in literature [30,33,34] indicated that power output Pmax for DC-SOFC supplied by coals reached values close to 100-120 mW/cm 2…”

Section: Electrochemical Oxidation Of Carbon-based Solid Fuels On Thementioning

confidence: 99%

Utilisation of coal for energy production in fuel cells

et al. 2016

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Abstract. In this paper a brief characterization of fuel cell technology and its possible application in sustainable energy development was described. Special attention was paid to direct carbon fuel cell technology. The direct carbon fuel cell is an electrochemical device which directly converts the chemical energy of carbonaceous based fuel into electricity without 'flame burning'. The electrical efficiency of a DCFC is indeed very high (in practice exceeding 80%), and the product of conversion consists of almost pure CO2, eliminating the most expensive step of sequestration: the separation of carbon from flue gases. In this paper the process of electrochemical oxidation of carbon particles on the surface of oxide electrolytes at 8% mol Y2O3 in ZrO2 (8YSZ) as well as cermet anode Ni-8YSZ was analysed. The graphite, carbon black powders were considered as reference solid fuels for coal samples. It was found that the main factors contributing to the electrochemical reactivity of carbon particles is not only the high carbon content in samples but also structural disorder. It was found that structurally disordered carbon-based materials are the most promising solid fuels for direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells. Special impact was placed on the consideration of coal as possible solid fuels for DC-SOFC. Statistical and economic analyses show that in the coming decades, in developing countries such as China, India, and some EU countries, coal-fuelled power plants will maintain their strong position in the power sector due to their reliability and low costs as well as the large reserves of coal and lignite in the world. Coal is mined in politically stable areas, which guarantees its easy and safe purchase and transport. The impact of the physiochemical properties of raw and purified coal on the performance of the DC-SOFC was studied. An analysis of the stability of electrical parameters was performed for a DC-SOFC operating under a load over an extended period of time. The tests indicated that DC-SOFCs fed with de-ashed coal were characterized by stable operation, with a power density greater than 100 mW/cm 2 from a single cell.

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“…Additionally, despite the favorable properties of Ni/ceria-based oxides in regard to direct electrochemical carbon conversion [15] the reactivity of ceria with YSZ during anode sintering has limited its use [16]. Recently, conventionally-prepared Ni-YSZ anodes infiltrated with Ce, Gd precursors, and then calcined, were found to deliver power densities much higher that the equivalent unmodified Ni-YSZ anodes [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High performance novel gadolinium doped ceria/yttria stabilized zirconia/nickel layered and hybrid thin film anodes for application in solid oxide fuel cells

García‐García

Beltrán

Yubero

et al. 2017

Journal of Power Sources

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Magnetron sputtering under oblique angle deposition was used to produce Ni-containing ultra thin film anodes comprising alternating layers of gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) of either 200 nm or 1000 nm thickness. The evolution of film structure from initial deposition, through calcination and final reduction was examined by XRD, SEM, TEM and TOF-SIMS. After subsequent fuel cell usage, the porous columnar architecture of the two-component layered thin film anodes was maintained and their resistance to delamination from the underlying YSZ electrolyte was superior to that of corresponding single component Ni-YSZ and Ni-GDC thin films. Moreover, the fuel cell performance of the 200 nm layered anodes compared favorably with conventional commercially available thick anodes. The observed dependence of fuel cell performance on individual layer thicknesses prompted study of equivalent but more easily fabricated hybrid anodes consisting of simultaneously deposited Ni-GDC and Ni-YSZ, which procedure resulted in exceptionally intimate mixing and interaction of the components. The hybrids exhibited very unusual and favorable I V characteristics, along with exceptionally high power densities at high currents. Their discovery is the principal contribution of the present work.

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Direct Carbon Fuel Cell Operation on Brown Coal with a Ni-GDC-YSZ Anode

Cited by 31 publications

References 30 publications

Challenges in developing direct carbon fuel cells

Challenges in developing direct carbon fuel cells

Utilisation of coal for energy production in fuel cells

High performance novel gadolinium doped ceria/yttria stabilized zirconia/nickel layered and hybrid thin film anodes for application in solid oxide fuel cells

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