Single-Chamber SOFC Operating with Hydrocarbon-Air and Hydrogen-Oxygen Gas Mixtures

A single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SC- SOFC), which is operated in a mixture of fuel and oxidant gas, provides several advantages over the conventional SOFC such as simplified cell structure (no sealing required). SC-SOFC allows using a variety of fuels without carbon deposition by selecting appropriate electrode materials and cell operating conditions. Operating conditions of single chamber SOFC was studied using hydrocarbon-air gas mixtures for a cell composed of NiO-YSZ/YSZ/LSCF-Ag. The cell performance and catalytic activity of the anode was measured at various gas flow rates. The results showed that the open-circuit voltage and the power density increased as the gas flow rate increased. A similar cell was tested in a double chamber configuration using hydrogen-air mixtures by controlling the hydrogen/air ratio at cathode and anode. Simulation of single chamber conditions in double chamber configurations allows distinguishing and better understanding of the electrode reactions in the presence of mixed gases. The effect of hydrogen-air mixtures as a fuel on the performance of anode and cathode materials in single-chamber and double-chamber SOFC configurations is presented