Development of a tubular molten carbonate direct carbon fuel cell and basic cell performance

Abstract Direct carbon fuel cells (DCFCs) are expected to be useful devices that effectively utilize carbon resources. In this study, a tubular and molten carbonate electrolyte type DCFC (TMC-DCFC) was conceived and its basic performance was investigated. Continuous power generation tests were conducted using a fuel mixture consisting of activated carbon and Li/Na carbonate powders such that stable power generation of about 100 mW cm−2 for 24 h was achieved. The temperature dependency of the I–V curves showed that the performance of the TMC-DCFC increased as the operating temperature increased. Analysis of the gas composition at the outlet of the anode indicated that most of the generated gas was CO. It is considered that CO was generated by the reverse Boudouard reaction between the solid carbon in the fuel and the CO2 generated at the anode. As a result of calculation of energy balance for the TMC-DCFC, the electrical efficiency was 20.4% and the heat value of generated CO was 79.6%. This result suggests that TMC-DCFC can generate both electric power and CO with high effective utilization of carbon.