Internal Reforming Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Operating under Direct Ethanol Feed Condition
Author(s) -
Elharati Mohamed A.,
Dewa Martinus,
Bkour Qusay,
Mohammed Hussain A.,
Miura Yohei,
Dong Song,
Fukuyama Yosuke,
Dale Nilesh,
Marin-Flores Oscar G.,
Ha Su
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
energy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 2194-4296
pISSN - 2194-4288
DOI - 10.1002/ente.202000350
Subject(s) - steam reforming , solid oxide fuel cell , anode , materials science , catalysis , chemical engineering , direct ethanol fuel cell , yttria stabilized zirconia , oxide , hydrogen , layer (electronics) , cubic zirconia , hydrogen production , electrode , nanotechnology , chemistry , metallurgy , ceramic , organic chemistry , engineering
A button‐typed single solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with an internal catalytic reforming layer is tested for direct‐fed ethanol SOFC technology. This catalytic functional layer consists of 5 wt% Rh/CeZrO 2 catalyst and is applied in front of conventional nickel–yttria–stabilized zirconia (Ni–YSZ) anode to convert the ethanol fuel (35 vol%) into a hydrogen‐rich gas stream via the ethanol steam reforming reaction under harsh operating conditions for 24 h (steam‐to‐carbon [S/C] ratio = 3.1, 600 °C, and weight hourly space velocity [WHSV] of 176 h −1 ). The X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images reveal highly dispersed Rh nanoparticles with an average size of 2 nm over CeZrO 2 support. Unlike the button cell without the catalytic functional layer, the electrochemical performance of the button cell with the catalytic functional layer illustrates a high coking resistance while maintaining a good power density output. The proposed SOFC with the catalytic functional layer is a viable solution for future electric cars with bioethanol‐fed SOFC technology.