EXPERIMENTAL AND MODELING ANALYSIS OF N-BUTANE, ISOBUTANE, ISOBUTYLENE AND 1-BUTENE: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOFC OPERATION

摘要

Fossil fuels have been the world’s dominant source of energy. This dependence on oil and other fossil fuel resources presents many difficulties, including resource depletion, accelerating global warming, escalating cost of oil, and national security issues. One way to address this problem is to employ more efficient energy conversion devices such as fuel cells. Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) in particular are promising because they can operate directly on hydrocarbons. Typical operating temperatures for SOFCs range from 600-800?C. Because of these high operating temperatures, thermal decomposition of the hydrocarbon fuel within the anode channel is significant and is likely to influence SOFC operation.