Mathematical Model of Steam Reforming in the Anode Channel of a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

The paper presents a mathematical model of a molten carbonate fuel cell with a catalyst in the anode channel. The modeled system is fueled by methane. The system includes a model of the steam reforming process occurring in the anode channel of the MCFC fuel cell and the model of the cell itself. A reduced order model was used to describe the operation of the molten carbonate fuel cell, whereas a kinetic model describes the methane steam reforming. The calculations of the reforming were done in Aspen HYSYS software. Four values of the steam-to-carbon ratio (2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5) were used to analyze the performance of the reforming process. In the first phase, the reaction kinetics model was based on data from the literature.

Exergetic Analysis of a Natural Gas Combined-Cycle Power Plant with a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell for Carbon Capture

This study aims to propose the repowering of an existing Italian natural-gas fired combined cycle power plant through the integration of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) downstream of the gas turbine for CO2 capture and to pursuit an exergetic analysis of the two schemes. The flue gases of the turbine are used to feed the cathode of the MCFC, where CO2 is captured and transported to the anode while generating electric power. The retrofitted plant produces 787.454 MW, in particular, 435.29 MW from the gas turbine, 248.9 MW from the steam cycle, and 135.283 MW from the MCFC. Around 42.4% of the exergy destruction has been obtained, the majority belonging to the combustion chamber and, in minor percentages, to the gas turbine and the MCFC. The overall net plant efficiency and net exergy efficiency are estimated to be around 55.34 and 53.34%, respectively. Finally, the specific CO2 emission is around 66.67 kg/MWh, with around 2 million tons of carbon dioxide sequestrated.

The interplay between ternary molten carbonate and biomaterials during pressurized slow pyrolysis

The effect of pressure on the thermochemical conversion of woody biomass and lignin in the presence of carbonate additives has been investigated at moderate temperatures (600 and 800°C). A ternary...

Rearrangement of Oxide Scale on Ni-11Fe-10Cu-6Al Pre-Oxidized at 950 °C during Anodic Polarization in Molten Carbonate

The effect of anodic polarization in molten Na2CO3-K2CO3 at 750 °C was investigated on the structure of oxide scale formed by pre-oxidation of Ni-11Fe-10Cu-6Al alloy at 950 °C in air. The pre-formed oxide scale evolves and rearranges under anodic polarization related to melt corrosion and non-uniformly distributed electric field. Both of pre-oxidized and as-rearranged electrodes can serve as inert anodes with oxygen evolution. Anodic polarization exhibits a negative rearrangement-destructivity effect for the pre-formed oxide scale with corrosion protection of the rearranged oxide scale decreasing. The structure rearrangement of pre-formed oxide scale is also discussed during anodic polarization in the melt.

Corrosion Behaviors of SS310 and IN718 Alloys in Molten Carbonate

Long-lasting metallic materials are key to enabling a robust and reliable molten carbonate electrolyzer. In this paper, the corrosion behaviors of SS310 and IN718 in molten Li2CO3-K2CO3-Na2CO3 under CO2-O2 atmosphere were systematically studied. The results show that IN718 had a lower corrosion rate than that of SS310 because of the higher Ni concentration. In addition, increasing the temperature and decreasing the oxygen concentration can reduce the corrosion rate of both SS310 and IN718. As a result, IN718 is a suitable material to be used in molten salt electrolyzers. Overall, engineering the alloy and molten salt compositions as well as manipulating the gas atmosphere can suppress the corrosion of metallic materials, thereby screening durable metallic materials for high-temperature molten carbonate electrolyzers.