Effect of Anode Thickness on the Overpotential in a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

Abstract

: This work investigated the effect of anode thickness on the anodic overpotential with 100 cm 2 class MCFC single cells. The hydrogen oxidation rate in the molten carbonate is sufficiently high, which may lead to weak relation of overpotential with anode geometrical area. The relation of anode surface area and overpotential was analysed in terms of anode thickness in this work. Steady state polarization, inert gas step addition (ISA), and reactant gas addition (RA) methods were employed to the two cells with 0.77 mm and 0.36 mm thickness of anode. The result represented that the anodic overpotential at the cells were identical. It implied that the anodic overpotential was independent on the electrode thickness within the tested range.

Improved molten carbonate fuel cell performance via reinforced thin anode

“…While some researchers suggested that thick anode lowers MCFC performance, it was reported that anode thickness did not have any effect on the MCFC performance [12]. This was concluded based on the comparison of two anodes with thicknesses of 0.7 mm and 0.36 mm, respectively.…”