A Novel Direct Carbon Fuel Cell Concept

This paper describes a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) based on a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system which has been used to assess the performance of a high surface area carbon fuel material. The cell, consisting of a co-fired anode, electrolyte, and cathode, has been produced by standard tape casting methods and is of tubular geometry. The operating conditions of the cell require a 62mol%Li2CO3 and 38mol%K2CO3 eutectic secondary electrolyte and the operation of the cell is described over the temperature range 525–700°C. The cell performance has been examined by standard electrochemical methods.