The carbonate fuel cell has many advantages over conventional methods of producing electricity. It converts hydrocarbon fuels directly into electricity with a high efficiency (>70% in a cogeneration plant configuration) and consequently releases less carbon dioxide greenhouse gases (>30% less compared to a combined cycle gas turbine plant). Its adaptability to meet the customers' specific power requirements is ideally suited for distributed power generation. Several electrolyte-related issues in the present design impose limitations on fuel cell life. This research effort has focused on four major strategies to reduce electrolyte loss and increase electrolyte inventory: - In-situ electrolyte replenishment within the cell by storing an electrolyte in the cathode gas chamber. The electrolyte is a solid at the operating temperatures but slowly absorbs into the cell over time. An added benefit of this design is it alters the electrolyte composition making it lithium-rich, which reduces electrolyte vaporization loss. - Development of a novel cathode design having ribs to replace the baseline metallic cathode current collector. The current collector is responsible for significant electrolyte loss because when it corrodes it consumes lithium carbonate electrolyte. An added benefit of this design is it provides significant additional electrolyte storage space. - Identification of a more corrosion-resistant material or coating for the cathode current collector to reduce electrolyte losses. - Development of methods to reduce electrolyte migration, which depletes electrolyte from the positive end-cells of a stack.
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