Flame-assisted fuel cells running methane

In this study, the flame-assisted fuel cell (FFC1) was investigated by using methane/air flames. The confrontation between FFC temperature and fuel concentration at various conditions was investigated which uncovered the complex behavior of FFCs performance. Variations in fuel/air equivalence ratio, fuel flow rate and distance between FFC and burner outlet were studied. A critical distance for FFC placement above the burner outlet was uncovered, which has a significant impact on FFC performance. A high power density of 791 mW cm−2 was achieved which is comparable to the dual chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and single chamber SOFC. The short-term test exhibited good stability of the FFCs under operation despite the presence of carbon formation on the anode surface.