CA1242241A - Direct use of methanol fuel in a molten carbonate fuel cell - Google Patents

Direct use of methanol fuel in a molten carbonate fuel cell

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Publication number
CA1242241A
CA1242241A CA000475567A CA475567A CA1242241A CA 1242241 A CA1242241 A CA 1242241A CA 000475567 A CA000475567 A CA 000475567A CA 475567 A CA475567 A CA 475567A CA 1242241 A CA1242241 A CA 1242241A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
fuel
methanol
anode
cell
hydrogen
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000475567A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Roger R. Lesieur
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Raytheon Technologies Corp
Original Assignee
United Technologies Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by United Technologies Corp filed Critical United Technologies Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1242241A publication Critical patent/CA1242241A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0606Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/0612Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants from carbon-containing material
    • H01M8/0625Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants from carbon-containing material in a modular combined reactor/fuel cell structure
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/14Fuel cells with fused electrolytes
    • H01M8/141Fuel cells with fused electrolytes the anode and the cathode being gas-permeable electrodes or electrode layers
    • H01M8/142Fuel cells with fused electrolytes the anode and the cathode being gas-permeable electrodes or electrode layers with matrix-supported or semi-solid matrix-reinforced electrolyte
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/14Fuel cells with fused electrolytes
    • H01M2008/147Fuel cells with molten carbonates
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M2300/00Electrolytes
    • H01M2300/0017Non-aqueous electrolytes
    • H01M2300/0048Molten electrolytes used at high temperature
    • H01M2300/0051Carbonates
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50Fuel cells

Abstract

Abstract Direct Use of Methanol Fuel in a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell A method of powering a high temperature molten carbonate fuel cell using direct internal reformation of methanol. The methanol is reformed spontaneously using the anode catalyst and cell waste heat creating hydrogen which is consumed as fuel at the anode and carbon dioxide which is used to enrich the cathode oxidant. In addition, the reformation reaction is endothermic and therefore will aid in managing excess heat at the anode.

Description

Description Direct Use of Methanol Fuel In a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Technical Field The invention relates to a method of producing electrical power using high-temperature fuel cells.

Background Art High temperature fuel cells typically have a molten carbonate electrolyte disposed between an anode and a cathode. The typical fuel cell operates on hydrogen fuel and air oxidant. The reaction at the anode is shown by the equation H2 ~ CO3 ~ H2O ~ CO2 t2e (1) while the cathodic reaction is C2 + 1/2 O~-~ 2é ~ co3~, (2) From the equations, it is apparent that the reaction requires hydrogen for fuel and carbon dioxide enxiched oxygen as oxidant. One source for both of these materials is hydrocarbon gases particularly methane.
A process for producing hydrogen and carbon dioxide from such hydrocarbons is called steam reformation and has been used in the ra~t to nrovide fuel for fuel cells. ~or exaL~le, oee co~only assigned U.S. Patent 3,615,839. The reaction to produce the hydrogen is as follows:
CH4 + H2O ~ CO + 3H2 (3)
- 2 The '839 patent describes a process in which methane is preheated to 1000F (538C) and fed into a nickel catalyst packed fuel compartment behind the - anode where the cell heat and product water reform the gas as in equation 3. In order to make the reformation more efficient, the carbon monoxide generated in this reaction is further reacted in what is commonly called a shift reaction to produce carbon dioxide and more hydrogen.
C0 + H20 ~ C02 ~ H2 (4 ThP stability of the gaseous hydrocarbon molecules,especially methane,has necessitated the use of special reforming catalysts as well as high temperature pretreatments to initiate the reformation lS (U.S. Patent 3,146,131). In either case, the temperature of the gases is raised to about that of the operating fuel cell 932F (500C). Both the use of the special catalyst and the preheating of the gases outside of the fuel cell increase the cost of construction and of operation for one of these fuel cells, as well as decreasing their efficiency. These factors, plus the increasing cost of gaseous hydrocarbons and a potential shortage of supply makes alternative fuels more attractive.

The use of methanol in fuel cells operating with potassium hydroxide electrolyte have also been disclosed, however these cells suffer from the formation of carbonic acids and lead to a deterioration in the cells performance, U.S.
Patents 3,925,009 and 3,703,416.
Accordingly, what is needed in this art is a less complex, less expensive source of hydrogen for use in high temperature fuel cells.

Disclosure of Invention The invention is directed toward a method of generating electrical energy by steam reforming methanol inside the anode of a high temperature molten carbonate fuel cell. This method comprises introducing methanol into an anode cavity, contacting the methanol with the anode catalyst in the presence of heat and wa~er, thereby producing hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the reformed methanol.
CH30H + H20 + heat ~ 3H2 + C2 (5) More specifically the invention rela-tes to a method of operating a molten carbonate fuel cell having a catalyst containing an anode, a cathode, a molten carbonate electrolyte disposed therebetween, and fuel and oxidant passageways operating at about 1100 F (593 C) to about 1400 F (736 C) utilizing hydrogen as the fuel wherein the improvement comprises:
introducing methanol into the fuel passageway, contacting the anode with said methanol in the presence of water at the operating temperature of the cell, thus causing the methanol to steam reform, producing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and contacting the anode with the hydrogen fuel causing the hydrogen to oxidize producing free electrons.
!

~2~
- 3a -No special catalyst need be employed. Any of the anode catalysts commonly being used in such high temperature fuel cells will be satisfactory, i.e.
U.S. Patent No. 4,239,557~ The hydrogen is then further reacted with the catalyst as in Equation 1 while the C02 rich gas may be expelled through the exhaust to the atmosphere or used to enrich the oxidant with carbon dioxide to aid in the ca-thode reaction as shown in Equation 2.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a schematic of a molten carbonate fuel cell powered by methanol.
Fig. 2 is a graph comparing the power generated from different fuels. The present m~thanol and water solution, and simulated gases available from the reformation of naphtha, are shown.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the fuel cell used in the Example.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Figure 1 shows a molten carbonate fuel cell 19 comprising an anode 3, a cathode 5 and a molten carbonate electrolyte 7 disposed therebetween, as well as a fuel passageway 17 and an oxidant passageway 21. Surrounding the fuel cell is a heat source 9 capable of preheating the fuel cell to its operating temperature of about 1100F to about 1~00F (593C to 760C). When multiple fuel cell units are used forming a fuel cell stack, the operating fuel cells produce excess heat from the primary fuel cell reactions (equations 1 and 2) so that the cell does not require an external heat source, after initial start-up. Such a fuel cell is conventional and does not comprise a part of the present invention. It should be noted that the figure is only meant to be illustrative and exemplary and not meant to be limiting.
The present invention entails introducing methanol into the anode fuel passageway wherein it will come into contact with the anode. ~t -the cell operating temperature, and through the agency of the anode catalyst in the presence of water, the methanol is steam reformed to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide in conformance with Equation 5.
The hydrogen thus produced is then utilized, through the agency of the same anode catalyst, to produce free electrons as shown in Equation 1.
The methanol may be introduced into the fuel cell as a liquid or vapor, in either case it may be necessary to place the methanol under positive pressure, i.e. gravity feed or pump, when introducing it into the fuel cell.
The water required for the reaction, as is evident from Equation 5, must be one mole of wa~er to reform one mole of methanol, and may be ~roduced by the cell itself during the reaction of the hydrogen fuel with the carbonate electrolyte, as shown in Equation 1. However, if the water produced by the fuel cell should not prove to be sufficient for a particular fuel cell, water may be introduced into the anode chamber along with the methanol. The introduction of this water may be done by preparing a solution of ~ethanol and water outside of the ~uel cell, or in the alternative, both the water and methanol may be introduced separately into the anode wherein the two con-stituents will mix and then xeact with the anode catalyst.
Simultaneously with the introduction of the fuel to the anode is the introduction of the oxidant to the cathode 5. The oxidant 15 is generally air, however, since the reaction at the cathode requires CO~, enriching the oxidant with CO2 is preferred.
Using the present process, it may be possible to enrich the oxidant with CO2 by mixing it with the C2 rich effluent from the anode.
Although the above description is in terms of a single uel cell unit, it should benoted that this procedure will work just as well in a stack comprising a plurality of cells.
Example A molten carbonate test cell was prepared as shown in Fi~. 3. The electrode was circular in cross-sectional design and contained 3 cm2 of active catalyst area. The catalyst used in the anode 3, chromium stabilized nickel, and the cathode 5, nickel oxide, are conventional molten carbonate catalysts and are known to those skilled in the art. The fuel solution 11 was prepared by mixing 33 mls of methanol with 250 mls of H2O and warming to approximately 180 F (82.2C). The oxidant 15 comprised a mixture of 11 7~ (by vol.) 2' 17.1% CO2, 4% H2O and the balance N2.
The cell was operated at 1211F (655C) with a constant oxidant flow rate of 100 ccfmin to the cathode. The fuel was delivered to the anode by passing a stream of N2 gas 13 through the warmed fuel solution 11.
The test cell, being of subscale dimension, required that the fuel be introduced under very low flow rates. Therefore, it proved to be easier to introduce the fuel into the anode by flowing an inert gas (nitrogen) through the warmed fuel solution, where the N2 gas inter-mixed wi-th the fuel and carried it into the anode.
The quantity of fuel introduced to the anode was conveniently con-trolled hy varying the flow rates of the nitrogen. While the nitrogen gas is em-ployed in the subscale test cell, it is not necessary to use it in full scale fuel cells. ~Iow-ever, it could also be used in full scale models if desired. The inert gas does not affect the re-action or the results of this example; it is merely a convenient medium for introducing the fuel. The temperature to which the solution in this example is preheated ~180F (~82.2C) is a function of its subscale design. A full size fuel cell would utilize either liquid fuel or preheated fuel, depending on the cell design. In addition, ~2~

the subscale design requires the cell to be heated from an external heating source to maintain its operating temperature; again, this would not be necessary in a full scale cell.
Flow rates were varied from 3 cc/min to 100 cc/min to determine cell performance under different loading conditions. The fuel pressure was about ambient pressure at all times and the results of this test cell are shown in Fig. 2.
The test data demonstrates that the cell efficiency using methanol (A) is very similar to that of a cell using reformed ~as (B) with a composition of approximately 70~/o~80~/~ H2, 20~/o~25% C02 and 2%-5% CO on a dry weight basis.
The present invention utilizes a fuel which is increasin~ in supply and is rela~ively stable in its cost. Unlike the ~uel cells of the past, which utilize hydrocarbon fuels requiring external reforming or special internal reforming catalysts, fuel cells of the present invention require no external reforming or special catalyst. The same catalyst is used to reform the fuel and to act as the anode in the electrochemical reac~ion. Such a system is easier, simpler and less costly to construct as well as to operate.
It should be understood that the in~ention is not limited to the particular embodiments shown and described herein, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this novel concept as defined by the following claims.

Claims (2)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A method of operating a molten carbonate fuel cell having a catalyst containing an anode, a cathode, a molten carbonate electrolyte disposed therebetween, and fuel and oxidant passageways operating at about 1100°F (593°C) to about 1400°F (736°C) utilizing hydrogen as the fuel wherein the improvement comprises:
introducing methanol into the fuel passageway, contacting the anode with said methanol in the presence of water at the operating temperature of the cell, thus causing the methanol to steam reform, producing hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and contacting the anode with the hydrogen fuel causing the hydrogen to oxidize producing free electrons.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said water is a by-product of the electrochemical reaction of the hydrogen and electrolyte in the fuel cell.
CA000475567A 1984-04-30 1985-03-01 Direct use of methanol fuel in a molten carbonate fuel cell Expired CA1242241A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US06/605,457 US4524113A (en) 1983-07-05 1984-04-30 Direct use of methanol fuel in a molten carbonate fuel cell
US605,457 1984-04-30

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1242241A true CA1242241A (en) 1988-09-20

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000475567A Expired CA1242241A (en) 1984-04-30 1985-03-01 Direct use of methanol fuel in a molten carbonate fuel cell

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US4524113A (en)
JP (1) JPS60236465A (en)
CA (1) CA1242241A (en)
DE (1) DE3511947A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2563659A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2158287B (en)

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US6588504B2 (en) 2000-04-24 2003-07-08 Shell Oil Company In situ thermal processing of a coal formation to produce nitrogen and/or sulfur containing formation fluids
US20030075318A1 (en) * 2000-04-24 2003-04-24 Keedy Charles Robert In situ thermal processing of a coal formation using substantially parallel formed wellbores
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US6991032B2 (en) 2001-04-24 2006-01-31 Shell Oil Company In situ thermal processing of an oil shale formation using a pattern of heat sources
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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2158287A (en) 1985-11-06
GB2158287B (en) 1986-12-03
FR2563659A1 (en) 1985-10-31
US4524113A (en) 1985-06-18
GB8508879D0 (en) 1985-05-09
JPS60236465A (en) 1985-11-25
DE3511947A1 (en) 1985-10-31

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