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Overpotential Behavior of Carbon Monoxide Fuel in a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell
Author(s) -
Lee C.G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fuel cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1615-6854
pISSN - 1615-6846
DOI - 10.1002/fuce.201100149
Subject(s) - overpotential , anode , carbon monoxide , molten carbonate fuel cell , hydrogen , chemistry , materials science , chemical engineering , inorganic chemistry , catalysis , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , electrode , engineering
The overpotential of carbon monoxide (CO) fuel was analyzed with a 100‐cm 2 class molten carbonate fuel cell. The overpotential at the anode was measured using the steady state polarization, inert gas step addition, and reactant gas addition methods. Then, the overpotential was compared between normal hydrogen fuel (H 2 :CO 2 :H 2 O = 0.69:0.17:0.14 atm, inlet composition) and CO fuels (CO:CO 2 :H 2 O = 0.5:0.5:0 atm and 0.43:0.43:0.14 atm, inlet compositions). The CO fuel without H 2 O showed a much greater overpotential at 150 mA cm –2 than the CO fuel with H 2 O. This implies that the water‐gas‐shift reaction prevails at the anode and humidification of CO fuel is an efficient way to reduce anodic overpotential. The anodic overpotential with CO:CO 2 :H 2 O = 0.43:0.43:0.14 atm was about 73% of that of the H 2 fuel at 150 mA cm –2 . The anode showed gas‐phase mass‐transfer limitations with CO fuels.