Developing fuel map to predict the effect of fuel composition on the maximum voltage of solid oxide fuel cells

A thermodynamic model is developed to determine the fuels that would yield an identical maximum cell voltage (MCV) for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) at a given operating condition. These fuels make a continuous curve in the ternary coordinate system. A fuel map is established by developing the continuous fuel curves for different MCVs at the same operating condition and representing them in the carbon–hydrogen–oxygen (C–H–O) ternary diagram. Using the fuel map, the effect of the composition of a fuel containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and inert gas atoms on the MCV of SOFCs can be easily studied. In addition to the effect of the fuel composition, the graphical representation of fuel maps can be applied to study the effect of the fuel processors on the MCV of SOFCs. As a general result, among fuels that can be directly utilized in SOFCs, at the same temperature and pressure, the one located at the intersection of the H–C axis and the carbon deposition boundary (CDB) curve in the C–H–O ternary diagram, provides the highest MCV for SOFCs. The results also show that for the fuels that cannot be directly utilized in SOFC, the steam reforming fuel processor always yields a higher MCV than the autothermal reforming or the partial oxidation fuel processors at the same inlet fuel temperature.