A molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) is an electro-chemical energy conversion technology
that runs on natural gas and employs a molten salt electrolyte. In order
to keep the electrolyte in this state, the cell must be kept at a temperature above
500 C, eliminating the need for precious metals as the catalyst. There has been
only a limited amount of research on modelling the transport processes inside this
device, mainly due to its limited ability for mobile applications.
In this thesis, three one-dimensional models of a MCFC are presented based
on different types of diffusion and convection. Comparisons between models are
performed so as to assess their validity. Regarding ion transport, it is shown that
there exists a limiting case for ion migration across the cathode that depends on
the conductivity for the liquid potential. Finally, an optimization of the diffusivity
across the cathode is carried out in an attempt to increase the cell performance and
its longevity. / UOIT
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OOSHDU.10155/19 |
| Date | 01 April 2009 |
| Creators | Findlay, Justin Earl |
| Contributors | Berg, Peter |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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