Direct operation of cone-shaped LT-SOFCs with methane fuel for portable application

✍ Scribed by Jiao Ding; Jiang Liu; Yaobang Feng; Guoqiang Yin

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 927 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-3199
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.03.145

✦ Synopsis

Anode-supported cone-shaped tubular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and segmented-inseries (SIS) SOFCs stack based on gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) electrolyte film direct utilization methane as fuel are successfully developed in this study. The single cell exhibits maximum power densities of 484 mWcm À2 and 414 mWcm À2 at 600 C by using moist hydrogen and moist methane as fuel, respectively. A durability test of the single NiOeGDC/ GDC/LSCF-GDC cell is performed at a constant current density of 0.4 Acm À2 direct fueled with methane for about 140 h at 600 C. It stabilizes with no apparent degradation during the durability test. Very little carbon is detected on the anodes, suggesting that carbon deposition is limited during cell operation. The results show that the stability and dependability of as-prepared single cell is good and it is very significant for portable application of low-temperature SOFCs (LT-SOFCs). A three-cell-stack based on the abovementioned SOFCs is fabricated and tested by direct utilization of methane. Its typical electrochemical performance is investigated. And the stack has experienced 5 times thermal cycling test. Good thermo-mechanical properties and stability are observed and that the developed segmented-in-series LT-SOFCs stack with GDC electrolyte film is highly promising for portable application.