Power generation from a symmetric flat-tube solid oxide fuel cell using direct internal dry-reforming of methane

Direct conversion of methane to electricity in solid oxide fuel cells is challenging, especially for large-scale cells/ stacks, due to coking on Ni-based anodes, which may cause an inhomogeneous temperature and/or stress distribution. In this work, we investigated for the first time direct internal dry reforming of CH4 for power generation using a flat-tube SOFC (FT-SOFC) with symmetric double-sided cathodes with an active area of 70 cm2, and studied the effects of CO2:CH4 ratio, temperature, and current density on the performance and durability of the cell. Our results indicate that the thick anode support and inner channels of the FT-SOFC function as an efficient micro-reactor for reforming of methane, resulting in high conversion rates of methane, and thus a durable cell operation for 500 h in CO2/CH4 = 2 with a constant current density of 0.2 A cm-2 at 750 degrees C. Ni/YSZ catalysts granules placed in the internal fuel channels can further alleviate coking and improve the durability of cells. The unique cell configuration of FT-SOFC makes possible the direct utilization of methane for power generation.