• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.127-130
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• 2009

The uniform gas distribution between anode channels of the indirect internal reforming type molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) is crucial design parameter because of the electric performance and the durability problems. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed to investigate flow characteristics in the anode channels and manifold under different pressure drop and channel temperature conditions. The combined meshes consists of hexadral meshes in the channels and polyhedral meshes in the manifold are adopted and chemical reactions inside the MCFC system are not included because of computational difficulties associated with the size and geometric complexity of the system. Results indicate that the uniformity in flow-rate is in the range of $\pm$ 0.048 % between the anode channels when the pressure drop of anode channel is about 150 Pa. A gas flow-rate uniformity decreases as the pressure drop of anode channels decreases and as the temperature difference between indirect internal reforming (IIR) channels and anode channels increases.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.149-158
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• 2007

Of all components of MCFC(molten carbonate fuel cell), corrosion of separator is one of the most decisive factor for commercializing of MCFC. In order to provide better understanding of corrosion behavior and morphology for gas channel of separator plate, post-analysis after cell operation for 1200 hours at $650^{\circ}C$ was performed by optical microscope, SEM and EPMA. Intergranular corrosion was observed on gas channel of separator plate. Corrosion product layer was identified as Fe-oxide, Cr-oxide and Ni-oxide by EPMA, and oxide thickness was measured with a $60{\mu}m-150{\mu}m$. Also, gas channel of separator was damaged by severe intergrannular attack with post analysis in consistent with immersion test. Moreover, pitting on the channel plate was observed with a depth of $18{\sim}24{\mu}m$. The results of immersion method are well agreement with post analysis measurements.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2006.07b
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• pp.1145-1146
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• 2006

분산 형 전원 및 석탄 가스화와 연계한 복합 발전이 가능한 용융탄산염 연료전지(MCFC : Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell)는 천연가스, 석탄가스 등 다양한 연료를 사용할 수 있고, 공해요인이 적고, 높은 에너지 변환효율을 가지고 있어 전력사업 분야에 적용 가능성이 가장 큰 새로운 발전방식이다. 국내에서도 1993년부터 선도기술개발 사업의 하나로 시작하여 현재 250 kW급 발전시스템 개발 연구가 진행되고 있다. 250 kW개발 전 수행한 100 kW급 MCFC 발전 시스템 개발 연구에서는 6,000cm2 급 단위전지 90장으로 구성된 50 kW급 MCFC 스택 2기 로 구성된 100 kW MCFC 스택과 이를 운전 평가를 위한 시스템을 완성하였다. 2005년부터 스택운전에 필요한 시스템 내 단위기기들에 대한 시운전을 진행 한 후 장착된 100 kW MCFC 스택 운전에서는 시스템 단위 기기의 고장으로 전 부하운전을 실시하지 못했지만 상압 상태에서 AC 50 kW 전력을 계통과 연계 운전 시험을 진행하였다. 향후 100 kW MCFC 시스템 보완후 재 운전 시험을 진행할 예정이다. 한편 병행하여 진행되는 250 kW 열병합 발전 시스템 개발에서는 시스템 상세설계 및 신형 분리판을 이용한 새로운 형태의 스택을 개발 운전시험을 진행하고 있다. 여기에서는 MCFC 발전 시스템의 개요와 시스템의 운전을 위한 운전 모드 그리고 스택 운전 내용을 요약하여 소개하고자 한다.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2011

Employing the TRIZ problem solving technique, a hybrid-type center plate for the molten carbonate fuel cell(MCFC) was developed for the purpose of improving gas sealing and maintenance. The manufacturing method of the hybrid-type center plate was divided into a trimming operation and a two-step bending process. In the latter, a modified punch shape was used to reduce springback. Using finite element(FE) simulations, bending stresses in the thickness and the in-plane directions were computed and the bending conditions were optimized. The optimized results of the two-step bending process were used as a basis for the design of the trimming process of the hybrid-type center plate. Finally, the external manifold-type center plate and the hybrid-type center plate were fabricated using a die set that accounts for the optimized conditions. It was found that the numerical simulation results were in good agreement with the experiments.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.18-20
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• 2008

An electrical balance of plant(EBOP) of a 600kW molten carbonate fuelcell (MCFC) has to transit from grid-connected(GC) mode to grid-independent(GI) mode when a grid is in a fault conditions. A minimum transition time is limited by four cycle for a 600kW MCFC to ride through a grid fault. In this paper, we propose a control algorithm of a 600kW EBOP for a MCFC system. The EBOP has three operation modes, i.e., GC mode, GI mode, and grid-synchronized(GS) mode. The EBOP controls output currents in a GC mode and regulates output voltages in GI or GS mode. GS mode is defined as an interface between GC mode and GI mode to make a mode transition smooth, i.e., limitation of inrush currents, regulation of output voltages within ANSI standard. Simulations and experiments carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1997.07a
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• pp.100-103
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• 1997

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) started a fuel cell project to develop alternative sources of electric power because of the rapid increase in power demand and global environmental problems. For the development of a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), KEPCO started the project in 1993 to develop a 2 kW MCFC system and finished it at the end of 1996. In this project, $ASPEN^+$ was utilized to design the 2 kW MCFC generation system. Based on this simulation, a power generation system was designed and installed for operation and a long term test of internally manifolded 2 kW class MCFC stack. This stack has 20 cells with an effective electrode area of $1000\;cm^2$. It was run at 0.84 V and $150\;mA/cm^2$ and was operated for more than 3,250 hours continuously. This paper describes the system configuration and its control and measurement units. An analysis of the stack performance, the effect of gas utilization ratio, and the stack performance requirements are also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2006

Anodic overpotential has been investigated with gas composition changes in a $100cm^2$ class molten carbonate fuel cell. The overpotential was measured with steady state polarization, reactant gas addition (RA), inert gas step addition (ISA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods at different anodic inlet gas compositions, i.e., $H_2:CO_2:H_2O=0.69:0.17:0.14\;atm\;and\;H_2:CO_2:H_2O=0.33:0.33:0.33\;atm$, at a fixed $H_2$ flow rate. The results demonstrate that the anodic overpotential decreases with increasing $CO_2\;and\;H_2O$ flow rates, indicating the anode reaction is a gas-phase mass-transfer control process of the reactant species, $H_2,\;CO_2,\;and\;H_2O$. It was also found that the mass-transfer resistance due to the $H_2$ species slightly increases at higher $CO_2\;and\;H_2O$ flow rates. EIS showed reduction of the lower frequency semi-circle with increasing $H_2O\;and\;CO_2$ flow rate without affecting the high frequency semi-circle.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.678-685
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• 2011

An Ejector enhances system efficiency, are easily operated, have a mechanically simple structure, and do not require a power supply. Because of these advantages, the ejector has been applied to a variety of industrial fields such as refrigerators, power plants and oil plants. In this work, an ejector was used to safely recycle anode tail gas in a 75-kW Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) system at KEPCO Research Institute. In this system, the ejector is placed at mixing point between the anode tail gas and the cathode tail gas or the fresh air. Commercial ejectors are not designed for the actual operating conditions for our fuel cell system. A new ejector was therefore designed for use beyond conventional operating limits. In the first place, a few sample ejectors were manufacured and the entrainment ratio was measured at a dummy stack. Through this experiment, the optimum ejector was chosen. The 75-kW MCFC system equipped with this optimum ejector was operated successfully.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.907-916
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• 2010

Integration of various bottoming cycles such as the gas turbine (GT) cycle, organic Rankine cycle, and oxy-fuel combustion cycle with an molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power-generation system was analyzed, and the performance of the power-generation system in the three cases were compared. Parametric analysis of the three different integrated systems was carried out under conditions corresponding to the practical use and operation of MCFC, and the optimal design condition for each system was derived. The MCFC/oxy-combustion system exhibited the greatest power upgrade from the MCFC-only system, while the MCFC/GT system showed the greatest efficiency enhancement.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.3120-3124
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• 2008

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed to investigate flow characteristics in the anode channels and manifold of the internal reforming type molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). Considering the computational difficulties associated with the size and geometric complexity of the MCFC system, the polyhedral meshes that can reduce mesh connectivity problems at the intersection of the channel and the manifold are adopted and chemical reactions inside the MCFC system are not included. Through this study, the gas flow rate uniformity of the anode channels is mainly analyzed to provide basic insights into improved design parameters for anode flow channel design. Results indicate that the uniformity in flow-rate is in the range of ${\pm}1%$ between the anode channels. Also, the mal-distributed inlet flow-rate conditions and the change in the size of the manifold depth have no significant effect on the flow-rate uniformity of the anode channels.