Power Generating Property of Direct Dimethyl Ether SOFC Using LaGaO3-Based Perovskite Electrolyte

The power-generating property of direct dimethyl ether- (DME-) fueled SOFCs using a LaGaO 3 -based electrolyte was investigated in this study. The performance of a single Ni/La 0.9 Sr 0.1 Ga 0.8 Mg 0.2 O 3 /Sm 0.5 Sr 0.5 O 3 cell fueled with DME was comparable to that of the cell fueled with hydrogen at 1073 K. However, the power density of the DME cell decreased dramatically with decreasing temperature and showed a lower maximum power density than H 2 cell at 973 K due to the high anodic overpotential. DME-fueled cells based on cobalt-doped LSGM (1 to 9 mol%) electrolyte showed much higher power density compared with the cell using LSGM electrolyte, and the power density increased with increasing concentration of cobalt doping for LaGaO 3 . The maximum power density attained a value of 1.4 W/cm 2 at 1073 K. Because the deposition of carbon was not significant, this study demonstrated that DME is an attractive fuel for SOFCs, in particular, for intermediate-temperature SOFCs.