Effects of H2S and H2O on carbon deposition over La0.4Sr0.5Ba0.1TiO3/YSZ perovskite anodes in methane fueled SOFCs

Abstract The effects of H 2 S and H 2 O in the methane feed on carbon deposition in a La 0.4 Sr 0.5 Ba 0.1 TiO 3 (LSBT) anode-based solid oxide fuel cell were investigated in this work under different operating conditions. Characterization was done using a combination of electrochemical, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. As expected, carbon accumulation became more severe with increasing exposure time and operating temperature, but less severe in the presence of a current and/or steam. Addition of 0.5% H 2 S to the feed increased carbon accumulation and this carbon could not be removed effectively by co-feeding a small amount of steam to the anode. The resulting carbon was, however, easier to remove with oxygen as compared to that deposited by the H 2 S-containing dry feed.