Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B (대한기계학회논문집B)

The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (대한기계학회)
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Fuel Supply of Direct Carbon Fuel Cells via Thermal Decomposition of Hydrocarbons Inside a Porous Ni Anode

다공성 니켈 연료 전극 내부에서 탄화수소의 열분해를 통한 직접 탄소 연료 전지의 연료공급

  • Yi, Hakgyu (School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan Nat'l Univ.) ;
  • Li, Chengguo (School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan Nat'l Univ.) ;
  • Jalalabadi, Tahereh (School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan Nat'l Univ.) ;
  • Lee, Donggeun (School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan Nat'l Univ.)
  • Received : 2015.02.10
  • Accepted : 2015.03.31
  • Published : 2015.06.01
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Abstract

This study offers a novel method for improving the physical contact between the anode and fuel in a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC): a direct generation of carbon in a porous Ni anode through the thermal decomposition of gaseous hydrocarbons. Three kinds of alkane hydrocarbons with different carbon numbers (CH4, C2H6, and C3H8) are tested. From electron microscope observations of the carbon particles generated from each hydrocarbon, we confirm that more carbon spheres (CS), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and carbon nanofibers (CNF) were identified with increasing carbon number. Raman scattering results revealed that the carbon samples became less crystalline and more flexible with increasing carbon number. DCFC performance was measured at $700^{\circ}C$ with the anode fueled by the same mass of each carbon sample. One-dimensional carbon fuels of CNT and CNF more actively produced and had power densities 148 and 210 times higher than that of the CS, respectively. This difference is partly attributed to the findings that the less-crystalline CNT and CNF have much lower charge transfer resistances than the CS.

본 연구에서는 직접 탄소 연료전지(DCFC)에서 세 종류의 탄화수소(메탄, 에탄, 프로판) 열분해를 이용하여 다공성 니켈 연료극에 탄소를 직접 생성시켜 연료극과 연료간의 물리적 접촉을 향상시켰다. 전자현미경으로 각각의 탄화수소로부터 생성된 탄소 입자들이 탄소 수가 증가함에 따라 각각 탄소구형체(CS), 탄소나노튜브(CNT), 탄소나노섬유(CNF)임을 확인하였다. 그리고 탄소 샘플들의 결정성을 알아보기 위해 라만 산란 분석을 수행하였고, 탄화수소의 탄소 수가 증가할수록 생성된 탄소의 결정성이 떨어지고 더 유연하였다. 동일한 질량의 탄소로 채워진 연료극의 DCFC 성능을 $700^{\circ}C$ 에서 측정하였고, CNT 와 CNF 가 CS 보다 반응성이 좋아 각각 148%, 210% 높은 전력밀도를 보였다. 이는 결정성이 떨어지는 CNT 와 CNF 의 낮은 전하전달저항에 의한 것으로 사료된다.

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