Direct Coal Oxidation in Modified Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Hybrid direct carbon fuel cells employ a classical solid oxide fuel cell together with carbon dispersed in a carbonate melt on the anode side. In a European project, the utilization of various coals has been investigated with and without addition of an oxidation catalyst to the carbon-carbonate slurry or anode layer. The nature of the coal affects both open circuit voltage and power output. Highest OCV and power densities were observed for bituminous coal and by adding manganese oxide or praseodymium-doped ceria to the carbon/carbonate mixture. Comparing the carbon black fueled performance of an anode supported (315 µm anodes) and cathode supported cell (15 µm anode) indicates a superior performance of the latter. Using un-catalyzed biomass (charcoal) as fuel results in an OCV of 941 mV and a maximum power density of 78 mW/cm2 at 755ºC similar to the power output of manganese oxide catalyzed bituminous coal (73 mW/cm2).

The combined impact of carbon type and catalyst-aided gasification process on the performance of a Direct Carbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

“…40 mW/cm 2 at 800 o C, when 40 vol.% CO 2 /N 2 was employed as purging gas. This limitation could be bypassed by employing thinner electrolyte or electrode supported cells, which would allow the development of higher currents[37,38].…”

The synergistic catalyst-carbonates effect on the direct bituminous coal fuel cell performance

“…In the present work bituminous coal (BC) was selected as fuel due to its unique intrinsic fuel characteristics including its high carbon content, high reactivity and fluidity of the coal when heated [2,13,27,31,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. In addition, a bituminous coal of low mineral matter content and low sulphur content was employed, in order to minimize the undesirable reactions that could mask the DCFC electrochemical performance.…”