Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An investigation on the kinetics of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFC) is an all-solid-state electricity generation device that operates directly with solid carbon as fuel, without any liquid medium and feeding gas. Tubular electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), with silver-gadolinium doped ceria (Ag-GDC) as both anode and cathode materials, are fabricated and operated directly with activated carbon as fuel. The kinetics of the DC-SOFCs is carried out through analyzing the correlations of the cell reaction rates to the emitting rates of CO and CO2. It turns out that higher operating current corresponds to higher rates of consuming and producing CO, through electrochemical oxidation at the anode and the Boudouard reaction at the carbon fuel, respectively. The rate of consuming CO can be maintained constant by controlling the operating current while the rate of producing CO decreases with time because of carbon consumption. When the CO producing rate becomes smaller than the CO consuming rate, the operation will be terminated. Compared to the rates of the chemical reactions, the diffusion rates of CO and CO2 are so fast that their impeding effect on the cell performance can be neglected.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zhao Y, Wang SX, Duan L, Lei Y, Cao PF, Hao JM (2008) Primary air pollutant emissions of coal-fired power plants in China: current status and future prediction. Atmos Environ 42:8442–8452

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Wang QC, Shen WG, Ma ZW (2000) Estimation of mercury emission from coal combustion in China. Environ Sci Technol 34:2711–2713

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cao DX, Sun Y, Wang GL (2007) Direct carbon fuel cell: fundamentals and recent developments. J Power Sources 167:250–257

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nürnberger S, BußarR DP, Franke B, Rzepka M, Stimming U (2010) Direct carbon conversion in a SOFC-system with a non-porous anode. Energy Environ Sci 3:150–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rady AC, Giddey S, Badwal S, Ladewig BP, Bhattacharya S (2012) Review of fuels for direct carbon fuel cells. Energy Fuel 26:1471–1488

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kulkarni A, Giddey S, Badwal SPS (2015) Yttria-doped ceria anode for carbon-fueled solid oxide fuel cell. J Solid State Electrochem 19:325–335

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Deleebeeck L, Hansen KK (2014) Hybrid direct carbon fuel cells and their reaction mechanisms—a review. J Solid State Electrochem 18:861–882

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hemmes K, Cooper JF, Selman JR (2013) Recent insights concerning DCFC development: 1998-2012. Int J Hydrog Energy 38:8503–8513

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Jain SL, Nabae Y, Lakeman BJ, Pointon KD, Irvine JTS (2008) Solid state electrochemistry of direct carbon/air fuel cells. Fuel Cells Bull 10:10–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Jiang C, Ma J, Bonaccorso AD, Irvine JTS (2012) Demonstration of high power, direct conversion of waste-derived carbon in a hybrid direct carbon fuel cell. Energy Environ Sci 5:6973–6980

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Javadekar A, Jayakumar A, Pujara R, Vohs J, Gorte JR (2012) Molten silver as a direct carbon fuel cell anode. J. Power Sources 214:239–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Cowin PI, Petit CTG, Lan R, Irvine JTS, Tao S (2011) Recent progress in the development of anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. Adv Energy Mater 3:314–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Xu XY, Zhou W, Liang FL, Zhu ZH (2013) A comparative study of different carbon fuels in an electrolyte-supported hybrid direct carbon fuel cell. Appl Energy 108:402–409

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ju HK, Uhm S, Kim JW, Song RH, Choi H, Lee SH, Lee J (2012) Enhanced anode interface for electrochemical oxidation of solid fuel in direct carbon fuel cells: the role of liquid Sn in mixed state. J Power Sources 198:36–41

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kulkarni A, Ciacchi FT, Giddey S, Munnings C, Badwal SPS, Kimpton JA, Fini D (2012) Mixed ionic electronic conducting perovskite anode for direct carbon fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 37:19092–19102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Rady AC, Giddey S, Kulkarni A, Badwal S, Bhattacharya S, Ladewing B (2014) Direct carbon fuel cell operation on brown coal. Appl Energy 120:56–64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Nakagawa N, Ishida M (1988) Performance of an internal direct oxidation carbon fuel cell and its evaluation by graphic exergy analysis. Ind Eng Chem Res 27:1181–1185

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Xie YM, Tang YB, Liu J (2013) A verification of the reaction mechanism of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells. J Solid State Electrochem 17:121–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Tang YB, Liu J (2010) Effect of anode and Boudouard reaction catalysts on the performance of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells. Int J Hydrog Energy 35:11188–11193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Bai YH, Liu Y, Tang YB, Xie YM, Liu J (2011) Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell—a potential high performance battery. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:9189–9194

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Tang YB, Liu J, Sui J (2009) A novel direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell. ECS Trans 25:1109–1114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Xie YM, Cai WZ, Xiao J, Tang YB, Liu J, Liu ML (2015) Electrochemical gas-electricity cogeneration through direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells. J Power Sources 277:1–8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Tang YB, Liu J (2010) Fueling solid oxide fuel cells with activated carbon. Acta Phys -Chim Sin 26:1191–1194

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Dudek M, Sitarz M, Tomczyk P (2014) Effect of structural properties of carbon-based fuels on efficiency of direct carbon fuel cells. J Solid State Electrochem 18:3023–3032

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Siengchum T, Guzman F, Chuang SSC (2012) Analysis of gas products from direct utilization of carbon in a solid oxide fuel cell. J Power Sources 213:375–381

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Furimsky E, Sears P, Suzuki T (1988) Iron-catalyzed gasification of char in carbon dioxide. EnergyFuels 2:634–639

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Liu J, Barnett SA (2003) Operation of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells on methane and natural gas. Solid State Ionics 158:11–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Todd B, Young JB (2002) Thermodynamic and transport properties of gases for usein solid oxide fuel cell modeling. J Power Sources 110:186–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Hiroyuki O, Toshimitsu S (1996) Mechanisms of CO2 gasification of carbon catalyzed with group VIII metals. 1. Iron-catalyzed CO2 gasification. Energy Fuel 10:980–987

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Tanaka S, U-Emura T, Ishizaki K, Nagayoshi K, Ikenaga N, Ohme H, Suzuki T (1995) CO2 gasification of iron-loaded carbons-activation of the iron catalyst with CO. Energy Fuel 9:45–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Grabke HJ (1972) Oxygen transfer and carbon gasification in the reaction of different carbons with CO2. Carbon 10:587–599

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC, No. 21276097), the Special Funds of Guangdong Province Public Research and Ability Construction (No. 2014 A010106008), and Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program (No. 2014ZT05N200). Special thanks go to Dr. Meng Ni of Hong Kong Polytechnic University for helpful discussion.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China

    Weizi Cai, Jiang Liu & Meilin Liu

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, People’s Republic of China

    Weizi Cai, Jiang Liu, Yongmin Xie & Jie Xiao

  3. School of Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, People’s Republic of China

    Yongmin Xie

  4. Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, People’s Republic of China

    Jie Xiao

  5. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 771Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0245, USA

    Meilin Liu

Authors
  1. Weizi Cai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jiang Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yongmin Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jie Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Meilin Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiang Liu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cai, W., Liu, J., Xie, Y. et al. An investigation on the kinetics of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells. J Solid State Electrochem 20, 2207–2216 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-016-3216-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-016-3216-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation