A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack Integrated with a Diesel Reformer for Distributed Power Generation

Solid oxide fuel cells are one of the most attractive fuel cell technologies, promising to establish off-grid distributed power systems in remote areas. On-site hydrogen production through diesel reforming can be a viable solution to the problem of hydrogen storage and transportation. In this paper, a catalyst based on non-noble metal Ni, with the addition of La and K, is prepared and studied. The reforming performance of the catalyst is tested under various reaction conditions through experiments. The optimal reaction conditions are determined. Coke formation is found in the spent catalyst. The produced syngas are further passed into the solid oxide fuel cell for power generation tests. The feasibility of utilizing a non-noble metal Ni-based catalyst for diesel reforming to produce hydrogen combined with solid oxide fuel cell power generation is experimentally validated. Compared to the pure hydrogen case, the stack performance with syngas is slightly lower due to the existence of carbon monoxide. Moreover, the polarization curve of the stack using syngas is significantly affected by the operating temperature.