Carbon Capture & Storage | Advanced Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are devices that convert the energy of a chemical reaction into electrical energy. They operate on a similar principle as a battery, except that where a battery’s reactants are in a self-contained unit, a fuel cell is fed fuel and oxidant continuously. This allows fuel cells to operate at a constant voltage indefinitely (at least theoretically), unlike batteries, which can only produce power for a limited time.
CanmetENERGY’s fuel cell work is focused on the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and, more recently, on the use of this cell for hydrogen generation. These SOFCs use a ceramic material for the reaction zone, operate at high temperatures of up to 1000oC and use many different fuels. Along with air or oxygen as the oxidant, SOFCs can be fuelled with liquid hydrocarbons like oil or diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and even ammonia to produce electricity.
Schematic of a solid oxide fuel cell
The advantages of SOFCs are that they operate efficiently and can be scaled in size to produce large amounts of electricity for power generation. Since the operating temperature is so high, steam can also be produced and used for heating or to generate more electricity.
CanmetENERGY, in partnership with the University of Waterloo, is working to develop models to characterize the operation of SOFCs in various configurations and modes of operation. We have also initiated research work on process modeling and on integration of solid oxide cells for the production of hydrogen and oxygen.
