Effect of anode porosity on the performance of molten carbonate fuel cell

摘要

Nickel anodes, for molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), of various porosities were fabricated using tape casting and firing processes. The same slurry composition but different sintering temperatures, 700 and 900°C, were used to obtain different anode porosities. Combined experimental and computational techniques were used to study the influence of anode porosity on the performance of molten carbonate fuels cell. The power generated by the 20.25 cm2 class MCFC single cell was experimentally measured at 650°C in humidified hydrogen with respect to the porosity of the anodes. The computational aspect involved the modeling of the microstructure of the sintered porous anodes which included measured size distribution of Ni powder used and porosities of the manufactured materials. For the best performing single cell, the optimal porosity for the nickel MCFC anode was experimentally determined to be 55%. Computations revealed that the specific surface area, which is a determining factor in electrochemical reactions, reaches a maximum at a porosity of 52%.