The porous electrodes of a fuel cell are under mixed control of electrode kinetics, mass transfer and ionic conduction. Molten carbonate and phosphoric acid stationary fuel cells. Futyma institute of heat engineering, warsaw university of technology, poland abstract molten carbonate fuel cells mcfcs can be used as co 2 separators in fossil fuel power plants. Stationary fuel cells based on molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc technology have been under development at fuelcell energy, inc. The numerical methods must therefore be easily manageable, in particular with respect to model changes. In this paper, we will focus on how to reuse the waste heat from fuel cell systems. Performance and durability of the molten carbonate. A molten carbonate fuel cell without co 2 recirculation professor shanwen tao school of engineering, university of warwick department of chemical engineering, monash university fuel cell and hydrogen technical conference 2017, millennium point, birmingham b4 7xg, 14. Acknowledgement the authors relied upon the hard work and valuable contributions of many men and women in government and in the fuel cell industry.
Salts commonly used include lithium carbonate, potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate. Molten carbonate and phosphoric acid stationary fuel cells nrel. Nainesh m patel mchn01 slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Molten carbonate fuel cells electrochemical technologies. A benefit associated with this high temperature is that. The model consists of two coupled secondorder ordinary di erential equations, one for the concentration of the reactant gas and one for the potential. One example of such a system is the molten carbonate fuel cell based trigen plant installed at the ocsd water treatment facility in fountain valley, california.
Molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc is a hightemperature fuel cell. Pdf hightemperature molten carbonate fuel cells are a highly efficient and environmentfriendly source of power generation for commercial and. The molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc is the most complex of all the modern fuel cells both in terms of its cell reaction and of cell construction. Following the resource assessment study, the team selects fuelcell energy dfc1500 unit as a molten carbonate fuel cell. Keywords molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc, poisoning, electrolyte degradation, so 2. Performance and cost analysis for a 300 kw trigeneration. Think of a fuel cell like a battery in that it provides continuous dc electricity from a chemical reaction.
Molten carbonate fuel cells use carbonate salts of alkali metals as electrolyte. Electrochemical processes in molten carbonate fuel cells. Molten carbonate fuel cells an overview sciencedirect. Mcfcs, or molten carbonate fuel cells, use carbonate salts of alkali metals as electrolyte. A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. The evaluation of the performance and durability of the molten carbonate cell is a key for developing the electrolysis technology. Despite the significant progress made over the past few decades, the issues like component stability in carbonate melts and lower power density as compared to other hightemperature fuel cell systems. Materials issues and recent developments in molten carbonate.
Separating co2 from flue gases using a molten carbonate fuel cell. Molten carbonate fuel cells an overview sciencedirect topics. These fuel cells operate at relatively high temperatures 600650c allowing them to operate with unreformed fuels. The evaluation of the performance and durability of the molten carbonate cell is a key for developing the electrolysis. A method of powering a high temperature molten carbonate fuel cell using direct internal reformation of methanol.
Molten carbonate fuel cells have the potential to succeed phosphoric acid fuel cells as systems for large scale electrical power generation. The mcfc offers high electric energy conversion efficiency about 50 % based on. Molten carbonate fuel cell is one of the most promising high efficiency and sustainable power generation technologies, as demonstrated by the availability of several commercial units nowadays. Jun 09, 2016 the molten carbonate electrolysis cell mcec provides the opportunity for producing fuel gases, e.
Status of molten carbonate fuel cell installations fuel cell systems based on mcfc technology are under development in italy, japan, korea, usa and germany. Molten carbonate fuel cell is an electrochemical device that continuously transforms the chemical energy of the fuel and oxidant gas into electrical energy. Molten carbonate fuel cell an overview sciencedirect. Molten carbonate fuel cells the mcfc is often referred to as a second generation fuel cell because it is expected to reach commercialization after pafcs have reached the marketplace. Trigen systems that can produce electricity, heat, and hydrogen, are being proposed and developed.
Progress and recent trends in microbial fuel cells, 2018. But only a little attention is given to the research of waste heat utilization or recovery in fuel cell system. The stack was constituted by 16cells with a 300 w nominal power. Study of a molten carbonate fuel cell combined heat, hydrogen. Pdf international status of molten carbonate fuel cell. Molten carbonate fuel cells mcfc molten carbonate fuel cells are high temperature fuel cells that can use natural gas, biogas, and coal as fuels. Control of corrosion in molten carbonate fuel cells johnson. Experiment and numerical simulation on the performance of a kw. C and there are several advantages associated with this. Another important factor affecting corrosion is the wettability of the. The electrolyte in this fuel cell is a mixture of alkali carbonates, and it operates at a highenough.
Institute for fuel cell innovation, national research council canada, 4250 wesbrook mall, vancouver, b. In general, the use of a fuel cell at this facility would not be economically feasible at this time. The methanol is reformed spontaneously using the anode catalyst and cell waste heat creating hydrogen which is consumed as fuel at the anode and carbon dioxide which is used to enrich the cathode oxidant. The fuel consists of a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide generated from water and a fossil fuel. A fuel cell is composed of an anode, cathode, and an electrolyte membrane. In addition, the reformation reaction is endothermic and therefore will aid. Current technologic status of molten carbonate fuel cells. It is a hightemperature cell, operating at around 650c and its electrolyte is a mixture of alkali metal carbonates that are solid at room temperature but liquid at the cell operating temperature. A process for manufacture of molten carbonate fuel cell matrices in which an aluminate precursor material and a lithium salt are mixed in an aqueous or organic solvent, resulting in formation of a suspension, the suspension is heated to a temperature less than a boiling of the solvent, resulting in formation of a slurry comprising a lithium aluminate precursor material, at least one casting. The chhp system provides electricity to power the university campus, thermal energy for heating the anaerobic digester, and hydrogen for transportation, backup power and other needs. The molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc has evolved to current megawattscale commercial power plants. Preliminary tests were performed in order to verify the possibility to supply the stack by the landfill biogas, characterized by low methane content 32%. Robert remick at the national renewable energy laboratory nrel, and the pafc analysis was performed by douglas wheeler of djw technology, llc.
Chevron es designed the heat exchanger equipment, which captures the fuel cells exhaust heat byproduct for water and space heating purposes at the jail. Results showed that the proposed plant is able to correctly operate. Molten carbonate fuel cells mcfcs are another type of high temperature fuel cell. The molten carbonate fuel cell operates at approximately 650 c 1200 f. The euphoric period created in the beginning of the new millennium, however, did not lead to wide market penetration of fc applications. Because of hightemperature operation, various fuel gases can be widely used and internal reforming of hydrocarbon fuel is also possible, resulting in improving fuel utilization and providing higher power generation efficiency. A small size cylindrical molten carbonate fuel cell stack was installed at giugliano landfill in italy. Despite the significant progress made over the past few decades, the issues like component stability in carbonate melts and lower power density as compared to other hightemperature fuel cell. Fuel cell problems cost cost of a new technology is always high initially until highvolume manufacturing brings cost down need initial applications without entrenched lowcost alternatives fuels for fuel cells most fuel cells use only pure hydrogen fuel not available in large quantities. Fuel cells do not need to be periodically recharged like batteries, but instead continue to produce electricity as long as a fuel source is provided. The afc is very susceptible to contamination, so it requires pure hydrogen and oxygen.
Materials issues and recent developments in molten. Also as a result of their high operating temperatures, mfcfs do not require the fuel be. A molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc is a hightemperature power generator in which, using a ni catalyst, carbonate ion co32. The technology collaboration programme on the research, development and demonstration on advanced fuel cells advanced fuel cells technology collaboration programme, afc tcp functions within a framework created by the international energy agency iea. The molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc employs a molten mixture of alkali metal. The resistance of any material to corrosion by molten carbonate is dependent on a large number of factors, including moisture and impurities content, temperature, and the gas atmosphere above the melt. National fuel cell research center it is capable of producing more hydrogen gas from the hydrocarbon fuel than the fuel cell consumes, utilizing the waste heat from the fuel cell to produce hydrogen as a byproduct, as is being demonstrated by orange county, ca. Fce and its predecessor, the energy research corporation, for several decades. Fuel cells incorporate an anode and a cathode, with an electrolyte in between, similar to a battery. The electrolyte is molten potassium lithium carbonate, which requires an. When using the fuel cell for electrolysis mcec, it provides a promising option for producing fuel gases such as hydrogen, via water electrolysis, and syngas, via coelectrolysis of water and carbon dioxide. Other articles where molten carbonate fuel cell is discussed. Fuel cell systems are a clean, efficient, reliable, and quiet source of power. The firstgeneration carbonate fuel cell plants have shown an electrical efficiency of 4548%.
In this thesis, the effect on fuel cell performance of operating a small labscale molten carbonate fuel cell in. The material used for the electrolyte and the design of the supporting structure determine the type and performance of the fuel cell. Fce has demonstrated a number of 250kw units operating on. The molten carbonate electrolysis cell mcec provides the opportunity for producing fuel gases, e. Their introduction, however, will depend on the wide acceptance of first generation phosphoric acid technology and on solutions being found to a number of significant technical problems, including corrosion of fuel cell components by the molten carbonate. Figure 1 illustrates the process for fuelcell energy fce molten carbonate fuel cells mcfc. The mcfc is often referred to as a second generation fuel cell because it is expected to reach commercialization after pafcs have reached the marketplace. Types of fuel cells how fuel cells work howstuffworks.
There is a great deal of interest in using mcfcs to produce electricity in place of current coalfired power plants. Alkaline fuel cell afc this is one of the oldest designs for fuel cells. It is also very expensive, so this type of fuel cell is unlikely to be commercialized. The fuel cell plant is connected to the utility grid and operates in parallel to the grid. A molten carbonate fuel cell without co recirculation.
If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Additional challenges are posed by the coupling of di. State of the art in the world fuel cell systems based on mc fc technology are under deve lopment in ital y, japan, korea, usa and germany. International status of molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc technology january 2008 angelo moreno, stephen mcphail enea hydrogen and fuel cell project, rome, italy roberto bove joint research centre institute for energy, petten, the netherlands. Us5983488a solcasting of molten carbonate fuel cell.
Transport of electrolyte in molten carbonate fuel cell, journal of electrochemical society 41, 105. Molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc, fuel cell technology, economic analysis. The envisaged initial application is associated with waste heat, industrial processing, and in steam turbines to generate more electricity. Fuel cells of this type operate quite differently from those so far discussed. The electrolyte loss in mcfc stacks is theoretically and.
National fuel cell research center it is capable of producing more hydrogen gas from the hydrocarbon fuel than the fuel cell consumes, utilizing the waste heat from the fuel cell to produce hydrogen as a byproduct, as is being demonstrated by orange county, ca sanitation dept using anaerobic digestion gas us doe report. But, a parametric study was conducted to determine scenarios including variation in electric and natural gas rates along with reduced installation costs. Molten carbonate is a very aggressive medium and the corrosion of fuel cell components poses significant problems. Fehribach abstract in this paper we analyze a planar model for a molten carbonate electrode of a fuel cell. For example, it can convert a hydrocarbon fuel like propane gas into electricity without combustion. Disillusionment followed almost till the end of the first decade of the. Pdf this chapter is dedicated to the unique fuel cell using a molten salt electrolyte, the molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc. Request pdf analysis of a molten carbonate fuel cell. There is a pdf file available on the internet that provides stepbystep.
Ac impedance technique provides considerable insight. Study of a molten carbonate fuel cell combined heat. Watanabe central research institute of electric power industrycriepi japan. A cylindrical molten carbonate fuel cell supplied with. Moltencarbonate fuel cells mcfcs are hightemperature fuel cells that operate at temperatures of 600 c and above molten carbonate fuel cells mcfcs are currently being developed for natural gas, biogas produced as a result of anaerobic digestion or biomass gasification, and coalbased power plants for electrical utility, industrial, and military applications. Mcfcs are expected for highefficiency power generation systems using hydrocarbon fuels, such as natural gas and coal gas. These salts melt and conduct carbonate ions co 3 2 from the anode to the cathode when heated to about 600c. Molten carbonate fuel cells demand very high operating temperatures 600c and above and most applications for this kind of cell are limited to large, stationary power plants. Department of energy office of fossil energy national energy technology laboratory p. They are currently being developed for industrial and military uses. May 08, 2014 molten carbonate fuel cell prepared by. Molten carbonate fuel cells mcfcs use a molten carbonate salt suspended in a porous ceramic matrix as the electrolyte. Fuel cell technologies market report 2015 authors this report was compiled and written by sandra curtin and jennifer gangi of the fuel cell and hydrogen energy association, in washington, d. Control of corrosion in molten carbonate fuel cells.
Stationary fuel cell power systems with direct fuelcell. Cogeneration to produce electricity and cold water the fuel cell is an emerging cogeneration technology that has been applied successfully. An energy flow and resource availability study is performed to identify the type and source of feedstock required to continuously run the fuel cell system at peak capacity. Due to the highly corrosive nature of the electrolyte, various countermeasures are being developed. International status of molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc. A molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc is shown to reduce co 2 emissions from a coal fired power plant cfpp. It was shown that the fuel cell exhibited lower polarization in mcec mode than in mcfc mode, and a high co 2 concentration at the fuel cell anode reduced the polarization in electrolysis mode, which suggested that co 2 is reduced to produce co or carbonate. Optimal control of load changes for molten carbonate fuel cell systems 3 to the modelers. A new application of molten carbonate fuel cell mcfc has. The cell operating temperature is high at 650 c 923 k.
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