High performance direct flame fuel cell

The objective of this work is to develop a direct-flame fuel cell (DFFC), operated in a no-chamber mode that can be directly placed into "the burn box" and converts "un-burned" gas from fuels into the electrical energy. The performance of DFFC based on the anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a hydrocarbon flame was presented in this work, which serves not only as a fuel reformer but also as a heat source to sustain the fuel cell operation. The anode-supported SOFC was successfully fabricated and showed an extraordinary fuel cell performance of ∼ 600 mW/cm ² by using a propane flame; far higher than that of the electrolyte-supported SOFC. The total flow rates of premixed fuel-air greatly influenced the range of fuel cell operation and fuel cell performance. With the fixed flow rate of fuel, the introduction of an air flow exhibited a complex effect on the peak power density and the maximum current density due to the variation of fuel cell temperature and fuel concentration. If DFFC device is successfully integrated with thermochemical systems, the overall fuel efficiency of the systems will be increased significantly. For example, it can be easily placed into the exhaust pipes of furnaces of buildings to remove partially combusted gas away from the exhaust stream, suggesting its potential benefit in both thermal efficiency and lower emissions.