Abstract
Micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cells (mT-FFC) were recently proposed as a modified version of the direct flame fuel cell (DFFC) operating in a dual chamber configuration. In this work, a rich-burn, quick-mix, lean-burn (RQL) combustor is combined with a micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (mT-SOFC) stack to create a rich-burn, flame-assisted fuel cell, quick-mix, lean-burn (RFQL) combustor and power generation system. The system is tested for rapid startup and achieves peak power densities after only 35 min of testing. The mT-FFC power density and voltage are affected by changes in the fuel-lean and fuel-rich combustion equivalence ratio. Optimal mT-FFC performance favors high fuel-rich equivalence ratios and a fuel-lean combustion equivalence ratio around 0.80. The electrical efficiency increases by 150% by using an intermediate temperature cathode material and improving the insulation. The RFQL combustor and power generation system achieves rapid startup, a simplified balance of plant and may have applications for reduced NOx formation and combined heat and power.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 18-25 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Power Sources |
Volume | 381 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 31 2018 |
Keywords
- Flame-assisted fuel cell (FFC)
- Fuel-rich combustion
- Micro-combined heat and power
- Micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (mT-SOFC)
- Rich-burn quick-mix lean-burn (RQL) combustor
- Two-stage combustor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering