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A compact and seal-less direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell stack stepping into practical application

Author

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  • Chen, Qianyang
  • Qiu, Qianyuan
  • Yan, Xiaomin
  • Zhou, Mingyang
  • Zhang, Yapeng
  • Liu, Zhijun
  • Cai, Weizi
  • Wang, Wei
  • Liu, Jiang

Abstract

The direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell is a potential technology that efficiently and cleanly converts the chemical energy of solid carbon into electricity. Its superiority of all-solid-state configuration and unique operating mechanism indicate that it has a good application prospect in high energy density portable or backup power supplys. It can also be used to convert coal into electrical power. Here, for the first time, we report a compact direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell stack with 12 cells fabricated on a single 10 × 10 cm electrolyte plate. The plate covers a container filled with solid carbon-rich fuel to form a stack. No sealant and pipelines are needed and the carbon-rich fuel can be reloaded. Both activated carbon and sawdust of bauhinia tree branch are used as the fuel. The output power of such a stack approaches more than 10 W at 800 °C. Using 15 g of 5 wt% Fe-loaded activated carbon as the fuel, a stack discharging at a constant current of 1.5 A outputs an energy of 29 Wh, correspongding to an energy desnity of carbon of ∼2000 Wh kg−1. This work shows the feasibility of developing direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell into a compact electricity generator using readily available carbon-rich fuels. It also shows promise of using this technology in clean and efficient conversion of coal to electricity.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Qianyang & Qiu, Qianyuan & Yan, Xiaomin & Zhou, Mingyang & Zhang, Yapeng & Liu, Zhijun & Cai, Weizi & Wang, Wei & Liu, Jiang, 2020. "A compact and seal-less direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell stack stepping into practical application," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:278:y:2020:i:c:s0306261920311557
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115657
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