Performance evaluation of solid oxide carbon fuel cells operating on steam gasified carbon fuels

• Solid oxide carbon fuel cell was operated on different steam gasified carbon fuels.
• Among the all tested fuels, K2CO3 catalyzed activated carbon gave the maximum performance.
• Long-term galvanostatic test for 100 h showed relatively stable operation.

We investigated the operating characteristics of solid oxide carbon fuel cells (SO–CFCs) integrated with a steam gasifier that used carbonaceous fuels, including activated carbon and biomass driven charcoal. Steam gasification was carried out in a specially designed gasifier, which was directly integrated with a solid-oxide based carbon fuel cell. We studied the effects of gasification temperature, steam flow rate and catalyst addition on the electrochemical performance of SO–CFC, and the results showed that among the three tested fuels, activated carbon with a K2CO3 catalyst performed the best. At 850 °C, maximum power density values of 108 mW/cm2, 161 mW/cm2 and 181 mW/cm2 were achieved when the SO–CFC was operated using activated carbon, biomass driven charcoal and activated carbon with a K2CO3 catalyst, respectively. The SO–CFC operated continuously for 100 h and it showed relatively stable performance. This study suggests that by using a catalytic steam gasifier integrated with the SO–CFC, solid carbon fuel resources can be used for power generation with higher efficiency and minimal carbon footprint.