• Title/Summary/Keyword: fuel cells

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Performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Direct Internal Reforming of Methane

  • Kim, Young Jin;Lim, Hyung-Tae
    • Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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    • v.52 no.5
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    • pp.325-330
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    • 2015
  • Performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), in comparison with that under hydrogen fuel, were investigated under direct internal reforming conditions. Anode supported cells were fabricated with an Ni+YSZ anode, YSZ electrolyte, and LSM+YSZ cathode for the present work. Measurements of I-V curves and impedance were conducted with S/C (steam to carbon) ratio of ~ 2 at $800^{\circ}C$. The outlet gas was analyzed using gas chromatography under open circuit condition; the methane conversion rate was calculated and found to be ~ 90% in the case of low flow rate of methane and steam. Power density values were comparable for both cases (hydrogen fuel and internal steam reforming of methane), and in the latter case the cell performance was improved, with a decrease in the flow rate of methane with steam, because of the higher conversion rate. The present work indicates that the short-term performance of SOFCs with conventional Ni+YSZ anodes, in comparison with that under hydrogen fuel, is acceptable under internal reforming condition with the optimized fuel flow rate and S/C ratio.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Designs, Materials, and Applications

  • Singhal Subhash C.
    • Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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    • v.42 no.12 s.283
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    • pp.777-786
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    • 2005
  • The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical device to convert chemical energy of a fuel into electricity at temperatures from about 600 to $1000^{\circ}C$. The SOFC offers certain advantages over lower temperature fuel cells, notably its ability to use CO as a fuel rather than being poisoned by it, and high grade exhaust heat for combined heat and power, or combined cycle gas turbine applications. This paper reviews the operating principle, materials for different cell and stack components, cell designs, and applications of SOFCs. Among all designs of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs), the most progress has been achieved with the tubular design. However, the electrical resistance of tubular SOFCs is high, and specific power output $(W/cm^2)$ and volumetric power density $(W/cm^3)$ low. Planar SOFCs, in contrast, are capable of achieving very high power densities.

Solid oxide fuel cell and application of proton conducting ceramics (고체산화물 연료전지와 양성자 전도성 세라믹 물질의 응용)

  • Jeong, Donghwi;Kim, Guntae
    • Ceramist
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.366-377
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    • 2018
  • Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are promising eco-friendly energy conversion system due to their high efficiency, low pollutant emission and fuel flexibility. High operating temperatures, however, leads to the crucial drawbacks such as incompatibility between the components and high thermal stress. Proton-conducting ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) with proton-conducting oxide (PCO) materials are new types of fuel cells that can solve the problems of conventional SOFCs. Many studies have been proceeded to improve the performance of electrolytes and electrodes, and triple conductive oxides (TCOs) have attracted significant attention as high performance PCFC electrodes.

Technical Trends for Fuel Cell Aircraft (연료전지항공기 기술 동향)

  • Kim, Keun-Bae
    • Current Industrial and Technological Trends in Aerospace
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.95-105
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    • 2009
  • Fuel cells are applied to the propulsion system of aircraft based on environmental-friendly characteristics with low noise and zero emission of CO2, currently many kinds of UAV and small manned aircraft equipped with fuel cells are being developed. Fuel cells for aircraft typically classified into PEMFC(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) type and SOFC(Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) type and the system is developed to adapt missions and operational conditions of aircraft. For UAV, various types of aircraft mostly based on PEM fuel cell technology are investigated for military or commercial uses, and the stability and endurance of system will be improved. For small manned aircraft, many researches are carried out to substitute the propulsion system by fuel cell, also some developments for the higher performance of APU of large commercial aircraft to apply fuel cells are in progress. In the future, a fuel cell aircraft will be expected to improve the reliability and efficiency with higher power density.

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Low Temperature Methane Steam Reforming for Hydrogen Production for Fuel Cells

  • Roh, Hyun-Seog;Jun, Ki-Won
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.153-156
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    • 2009
  • Low temperature methane steam reforming to produce $H_2$ for fuel cells has been calculated thermodynamically considering both heat loss of the reformer and unreacted $H_2$ in fuel cell stack. According to the thermodynamic equilibrium analysis, it is possible to operate methane steam reforming at low temperatures. A scheme for the low temperature methane steam reforming to produce $H_2$ for fuel cells by burning both unconverted $CH_4$ and $H_2$ to supply the heat for steam methane reforming has been proposed. The calculated value of the heat balance temperature is strongly dependent upon the amount of unreacted $H_2$ and heat loss of the reformer. If unreacted $H_2$ increases, less methane is required because unreacted $H_2$ can be burned to supply the heat. As a consequence, it is suitable to increase the reaction temperature for getting higher $CH_4$ conversion and more $H_2$ for fuel cell stack. If heat loss increases from the reformer, it is necessary to supply more heat for the endothermic methane steam reforming reaction from burning unconverted $CH_4$, resulting in decreasing the reforming temperature. Experimentally, it has been confirmed that low temperature methane steam reforming is possible with stable activity.

Highly Sulfonated Poly(Arylene Biphenylsulfone Ketone) Block Copolymers Prepared via Post-Sulfonation for Proton Conducting Electrolyte Membranes

  • Lee, Kyu Ha;Chu, Ji Young;Kim, Ae Rhan;Nahm, Kee Suk;Yoo, Dong Jin
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.34 no.6
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    • pp.1763-1770
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    • 2013
  • A series of the block copolymers were successfully synthesized from post-sulfonated hydrophilic and hydrophobic macromers via three-step copolymerization. The degrees of sulfonation (DS) of the copolymers (10%, 30%, or 50%) were controlled by changing the molar ratio of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. The resulting block copolymers were characterized by $^1H$ NMR and other technologies. The membranes were successfully cast using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution at $100^{\circ}C$. The copolymers were characterized to confirm chemical structure by $^1H$ NMR and FT-IR. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that all sulfonated block copolymers exhibited good thermal stability with an initial weight loss at temperatures above $240^{\circ}C$. The membranes showed acceptable ion exchange capacity (IEC) and water uptake values in accordance with DS. The maximum proton conductivity was 184 mS $cm^{-1}$ in block copolymer-50 at $60^{\circ}C$ and 100% relative humidity, while the conductivity of Nifion-115 was 160 mS $cm^{-1}$ under the same measurement conditions. AFM images of the block copolymer membranes showed well separated the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. From the observed results it is that the prepared block membranes can be considered as suitable polymer electrolyte membranes for the application of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).

Catalytic Effects of Barium Carbonate on the Anodic Performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

  • Yoon, Sung-Eun;Ahn, Jae-Yeong;Park, Jong-Sung
    • Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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    • v.52 no.5
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    • pp.350-355
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    • 2015
  • To develop ceramic composite anodes of solid oxide fuel cells without metal catalysts, a small amount of barium carbonate was added to an $(La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2})(Cr_{0.5}Mn_{0.5})O_3(LSCM)$ - YSZ ceramic composite anode and its catalytic effects on the electrode performance were investigated. A barium precursor solution with citric acid was used to synthesize the barium carbonate during ignition, while a barium precursor solution without citric acid was used to create hydrated barium hydroxide. The addition of barium carbonate to the ceramic composite anode caused stable fuel cell performance at 1073 K; this performance was higher than that of a fuel cell with $CeO_2$ catalyst; however, the addition of hydrated barium hydroxide to the ceramic composite anode caused poor stability of the fuel cell performance.

Fuel-Flexible Anode Architecture for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

  • Hwan Kim;Sunghyun Uhm
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.34 no.3
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    • pp.226-240
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    • 2023
  • This paper provides an overview of the trends and future directions in the development of anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) using hydrocarbons as fuel, with the aim of enabling a decentralized energy supply. Hydrocarbons (such as natural gas and biogas) offer promising alternatives to traditional energy sources, as their use in SOFCs can help meet the growing demands for energy. We cover several types of materials, including perovskite structures, high-entropy alloys, proton-conducting ceramic materials, anode on-cell catalyst reforming layers, and anode functional layers. In addition, we review the performance and long-term stability of cells based on these anode materials and assess their potential for commercial manufacturing processes. Finally, we present a model for enhancing the applicability of fuel cell-based power generation systems to assist in the realization of the H2 economy as the best practice for enabling distributed energy. Overall, this study highlights the potential of SOFCs to make significant progress toward a sustainable and efficient energy future.