Direct-Fed Ethanol Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System with Regeneration Process by Air Pulsing
Authors: Dewa Martinus , Abdul Jabbar Mohammed Hussain , Miura Yohei , Song Dong , Fukuyama Yosuke , Furuya Yoshihisa , Dale Nilesh , Marin-Flores Oscar , Norton M. Grant , Ha Su 
Published: September 2023

Metal-Supported-SOFC (MS-SOFC) can handle rapid start-up and cool-down without cracking, making it more suitable for mobile applications than a conventional cermet-based SOFC, which is more susceptible to cracking when experiencing thermal shock due to its ceramic component. Despite having more robust mechanical properties, the MS-SOFC still relies on Ni as its anode catalyst, where it can be deactivated due to coking formation if the cell is operated under liquid logistics or hydrocarbon fuels. One of the most effective solutions is introducing a micro-reforming catalyst layer on the anode layer. The micro-reforming catalyst will reform the fuel into H2 and CO mixture called syngas, and then the anode will use the reformatted syngas to run the electrochemical reaction to produce electricity. This method will effectively improve the cell power output, stability, and coking resistance.

In this work, we integrated the MS-SOFC with a reforming catalyst through the precursor infiltration method. We infiltrated a non-noble metal-based catalyst with a ceria-zirconia (CZ) into the MS-SOFC. The cell is then operated under direct ethanol fuel at 700 °C with the S/C ratio of 2. The non-noble metal catalyst is less expensive than noble but it also has lower catalytic activity and coking resistance during the cell operation in ethanol. Therefore, a regeneration cycle is necessary to maintain the cell performance and the catalytic activity of the cell. The regeneration cycle is performed by air pulsing directly into the cell’s anode surface to burn off the coking generated during the cell operation. The regeneration process involves a redox cycle that is only possible for a mechanically stable structure like MS-SOFC.

Our experimental data showed that the MS-SOFC with infiltrated micro-reforming catalyst was gradually deactivated during the operation under ethanol fuel, indicated by the cell voltage drops due to coking. After the regeneration procedure with air pulsing, the cell voltage was recovered to its original performance. At the same time, the gas chromatograph detects a significant CO2 signal from the effluent gas, suggesting that the carbon removal process was successfully performed. Additionally, we observed an improvement in the cell’s performance under H2 and ethanol fuel. After a long-term constant current stability test, the cell shows up to ~20% and ~25% maximum current density drops under H2 and ethanol fuel, respectively, compared to its initial performance. Upon the cell regeneration with air pulse, the cell’s maximum current density was recovered to its initial performance and showed an improvement up to ~21 and 13% under H2 and ethanol, respectively, compared to its initial performance before the long-term test. This result suggests that some of the carbons might remain within the cell’s functional layer and help improve its conductivity and electrochemical performances. These data clearly show that the air pulsing regeneration process in the MS-SOFC can improve the cell’s lifetime by removing the coking deposit within the anode and enhancing its electrochemical and catalytic activity.

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Figure Caption:

Fig 1.(A) The IV pot of the MS-SOFC with reforming catalyst under H2 and (B) ethanol solution (S/C=2) at 700 °C of the MS-SOFC. The IV measurements were taken during its initial screening, after both constant current stability tests, and after both regeneration procedures. (C) Long-term stability test of the cell in ethanol solution under the constant current density of 125 mA/cm2.

Figure 1