초록
Aluminum source in an Al-Fe coating reacts with molten carbonate and develops a protective $LiAlO_2$ layer on the coating surface during operation of molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC). However, if aluminum content in an Al-Fe coating decreases to a critical level for some reasons during MCFC operation, a stable and continuous $LiAlO_2$ protective layer can no longer be maintained. The aluminum content in an Al-Fe coating can be depleted by two different processes; one is by corrosion reaction at the surface between the aluminum source in the coating and molten carbonate, and the other is inward-diffusion of aluminum atoms within the coating into a substrate. In these two respects, therefore, the decreasing rate of aluminum concentration in an Al-Fe coating was measured, and then the influences of these two aspects on the lifetime of Al-Fe coating were investigated, respectively.