The asymmetric electrode configuration can effectively solve the electrolyte carbonation problem formolten hydroxide direct carbon fuel cells (MHDCFCs), however, the thermodynamic performance ofthis kind of MHDCFC has not been well understood yet. Herein, an MHDCFC model with active carbonas fuel and molten sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as electrolyte is proposed, in which the anode and cathodeare asymmetric. According to the electrochemical reaction kinetics, electrode process and mass transfer,various irreversible losses of the electrochemical process are described. Considering diverse polarizationlosses, the thermodynamic performance of the MHDCFC is comprehensively evaluated by using outputvoltage, efficiency, power output, entropy production rate, ecological objective function and ecologicalcoefficient of performance as objective functions. The MHDCFC model is validated to be reliable bycomparing with previous modeling results. The generic performance characteristics of the MHDCFCare revealed. The effects of the operating temperature, anodic and cathodic chamber heights, fuel mass,O2 flow rate, cathodic pressure, and reaction chamber width on the MHDCFC performance are analyzedthrough exhaustive parametric studies. The obtained results may provide some insights into globallyunderstanding the performance of MHDCFCs.
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