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SPECIAL ISSUE RESEARCH PAPERS

Studies on the Numerical Modeling of the Butterfly-type Unit Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

[+] Author and Article Information
Min-Jung Yoo, Dong-Phil Kim, Gui-Yung Chung

Department of Chemical Engineering, Hong-Ik University, 72-1 Sangsudong, Mapoku, Seoul, 121-791, South Korea

Hee-Chun Lim

Korea Electric Power Research Institute (KEPRI), 103-16 Munjidong, Yuseonggu, Daejon, 305-380, South Korea

J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol 3(3), 327-332 (Feb 07, 2006) (6 pages) doi:10.1115/1.2217955 History: Received November 29, 2005; Revised February 07, 2006

Abstract

In the butterfly-type molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), anode and cathode gases enter at the center of the gas channel and divide into two opposite directions in the gas channels, respectively. Mathematical modeling of the butterfly-type unit MCFC has been carried out and the results were compared with those of the co-flow type unit fuel cell, working at the same conditions and using the same amount of gases. In both the anode and the cathode gas channels, the local fuel conversions in the butterfly-type cell were slightly higher than those in the co-flow type fuel cell. Temperature distributions of the electrode-electrolyte plate in the butterfly-type cell were slightly lower than those of the co-flow type fuel cell. The more uniform temperature distributions could be obtained by using the butterfly-type fuel cell. However, distributions of current density and compositions become more nonuniform than those in the co-flow type fuel cell.

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Figures

Figure 1

Schematic diagrams of the butterfly-type and the co-flow type unit fuel cell. The gas channel length of the butterfly type fuel cell (L∕2) is 0.6m and that of the co-flow type fuel cell (L) is 1.2m.

Figure 2

The contour graphs of the fraction of CO2(xCO2) in the anode and the cathode gas channels in the butterfly type fuel cell

Figure 3

The contour graph of the current density [A∕cm2] in the butterfly type fuel cell

Figure 4

Effects of the ratios of hydrogen utilization on the fraction of CO2(a) in the anode gas channel and (b) in the cathode gas channel in the butterfly type fuel cell

Figure 5

Effects of the hydrogen utilization on the fraction of H2 in the anode gas channel in the butterfly-type unit cell

Figure 6

The current density [A∕cm2] distributions along the gas flow direction at different utilizations of hydrogen in the butterfly-type unit cell

Figure 7

The comparison of distributions of CO2(a) in the anode gas channel and (b) in the cathode gas channel in the butterfly-type fuel cell (L∕2=60cm) with that in the co-flow fuel cell (L=120cm)

Figure 8

Comparison of the temperature distributions in the butterfly-type fuel cell (L∕2=60cm) with that in the co-flow fuel cell (L=120cm)

Figure 9

Comparisons of the current density distributions [A∕cm2] in the butterfly-type fuel cell (L∕2=60cm) with that in the co-flow fuel cell (L=120cm)

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