This work is supported by an agreement with Syracuse University awarded by the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Energy and Environmental Systems with funding under prime award number DE-EE0006031 from the US Department of Energy and matching funding under award number 53367 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), contract 61736 from NYSERDA, and an award from Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) through the Syracuse Center of Excellence, under award number #C120183. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. 1247399.

1. Combustion Calculations
<ol>
	<li>Select fuel for analysis. Here, choose methane as the reference fuel, but the principles are transferable to other hydrocarbon fuels.</li>
	<li>With 1 mole of methane as the fuel, balance equation (1) for stoichiometric combustion to get equation (2). 
	<img alt="Equation 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/54638/54638eq1.jpg" /> 
	<img alt="Equation 2" src="/files/ftp_upload/54638/54638eq2.jpg" /></li>
	<li>Calculate the fuel-air ratio for stoichiometric (F/Astoich.) as ...

<ol>
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The protocol discussed here is an important bridge between previous combustion characterization research and fuel cell testing. The use of combustion for fuel reforming and fuel cell testing has been applied for several years in DFFC setups10-15. However, the characterization of the combustion process in DFFCs is primarily concerned with in-situ characterization of the flame composition16 and uses a MS8. As the DFFC is open to the ambient, the exhaust composition consists mostly ...

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) innovations have been reported in recent years as the technology continues to develop. Among the many advantages, SOFCs have become known for high fuel efficiency, low emissions and moderate fuel flexibility compared to other combustion based power generation techniques1. Furthermore, SOFCs are scalable allowing for high fuel efficiency even at small scales. Unfortunately, limitations in current hydrogen infrastructure have created a need for fuel reforming systems that are often inefficient. A recent development is the micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cell (mT-FFC) reported in the author&#39;s previous work2. The mT-FFC is the first example of a flame-assisted fuel cell (FFC) that builds on the benefits of the original direct flame fuel cell (DFFC), which provides heat generation and fuel reforming via combustion3. The DFFC setup places a SOFC in direct contact with a flame open to the ambient environment. The flame partially oxidizes heavier hydrocarbon fuels to create H2 and CO, which can be used directly in the SOFC with less potential for carbon coking compared to pure methane or other heavier hydrocarbons. In addition, the flame provides the thermal energy needed to bring the SOFC to its operating temperature. A recent change to the original DFFC occurred by moving the SOFC out of the flame region and channeling the combustion exhaust to the SOFC to create the FFC2. Unlike the DFFC, the combustion occurs in a partially enclosed chamber (instead of the ambient) so that the fuel to air ratio can be controlled and the exhaust can be directly fed to the fuel cell without complete combustion occurring. FFCs have additional advantages including high fuel utilization and high electrical efficiency compared to DFFCs2.
As an emerging area of research, experimental techniques are needed that can assess the potential of mT-FFCs for future power generation applications. These techniques require analysis of partial oxidation, or fuel-rich combustion, and the exhaust which has been identified as a way of generating H2 and CO, also known as syngas, along with CO2 and H2O. The syngas can be used directly in the fuel cells for power generation. The analysis of fuel-rich combustion exhaust has been well established in recent years and has been carried out theoretically4, computationally5,6 and experimentally7 for many different purposes. Many of the theoretical and computational studies have relied on chemical equilibrium analysis (CEA) to assess the combustion product species that are energetically favorable, and chemical kinetic models for reaction mechanisms. While these methods have been very useful, many emerging technologies have relied upon experimental techniques during research and development. Experimental techniques typically rely on analysis of the combustion exhaust using either a gas chromatograph (GC)7 or a mass spectrometer (MS)8. Either the GC line/syringe or the MS probe is inserted into the combustion exhaust and measurements are taken to assess the species concentration. Application of the experimental techniques has been common in the area of small scale power generation. Some examples include micro combustors that have been developed to operate with single chamber SOFCs7,9 and DFFCs10-15. The analysis of the combustion exhaust occurs under a wide range of operating conditions including different temperatures, flow rates and equivalence ratios.
In the area of DFFC research, fuel and oxidant can be partially premixed or non-premixed, with the burner open to the ambient which ensures complete combustion. With a need to analyze the flame composition, a MS has been used in many instances for DFFC research and combustion analysis16. The more recent development of the FFC differs by relying on premixed combustion with the burner in a partially enclosed environment to prevent complete oxidation of the fuel. As a result, analysis of the combustion exhaust in a controlled environment free from air leakage is needed. Experimental techniques developed for this purpose rely on the earlier techniques used for micro combustor research with GC analysis of the combustion exhaust at varying equivalence ratios. The GC analysis leads to characterization of the combustion exhaust composition (i.e., the volume percent of each exhaust constituent including CO2, H2O, N2, etc.) This analysis allows for mixing of separate gases according to the ratios measured by the GC to create a model fuel-rich combustion exhaust for future FFC research.
The protocols for analyzing fuel-rich combustion exhaust, developing a model fuel-rich combustion exhaust and applying the exhaust for SOFC testing are established in this paper. Common challenges and limitations are discussed for these techniques.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="758">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Gas chromotograph</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">SRI Instruments, Inc.</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">SRI 8610C</td>
			<td style="width:303px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">K type thermocouples</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Omega</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">KQXL-116G-6</td>
			<td>Custom length</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">K type thermocouple extension wire</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Omega</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">EXTT-K-20-SLE-100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Mass flow controller</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Omega</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">FMA5427</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">0-40 L/min (N2) 
			Used for methane</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Mass flow controller</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Omega</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">FMA5443</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">0-200 L/min (N2) 
			Used for air</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Mass flow controller</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Omega</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">FMA5402A</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">0-10 mL/min (N2) 
			Used for CO</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Mass flow controller</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Brooks Instrument</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">SLA5850</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">200 SCCM (Propane) 
			Used for CO2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Mass flow controller</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Brooks Instrument</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">SLA5850</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">5 L/min (Air) 
			Used for N2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Mass flow controller</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Brooks Instrument</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">SLA5850</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">500 SCCM (N2) 
			Used for H2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Harris Products Group</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">HP721-125-350-F</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Methane tank</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Harris Products Group</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">HP702-050-590-E</td>
			<td>Air tank</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">Y11-SR145B</td>
			<td>CO tank</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Harris Products Group</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">HP702-050-320-E</td>
			<td>CO2 tank</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">Y12-215B</td>
			<td>N2 tank</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Harris Products Group</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">HP702-015-350-D</td>
			<td>H2 tank</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Methane, Compressed , 
			Ultra high purity</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">UN1971</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Extremely Flammable</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Air, Compressed, 
			Ultra pure</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">UN1002</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Not classified as hazardous to health.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">CO, Compressed, 
			Ultra high purity</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">UN1016</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Toxic by inhalation, Extremely flammable</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">CO2, Compressed, 
			Research grade</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">UN1013</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Asphyxiant in high 
			concentrations</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">&#160;N2, Compressed, 
			Ultra high purity</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">UN1066</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Not classified as hazardous to health.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">H2, Compressed, 
			Ultra high purity</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Airgas</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">UN1049</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Extremely flammable, 
			burns with invisible flame</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Source meter</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Tektronix, Inc.</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">Keithley 2420</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Connects to computer 
			via USB</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Horizontal split tube furnace</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">MTI Corportation</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">OTF-1200X</td>
			<td style="width:303px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Data acquisition</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">National Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">NI cDAQ-9172</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Connects to computer 
			via USB</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Thermocouple input</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">National Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">NI 9211</td>
			<td>Connects to cDAQ-9172</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Computer control for Mass Flow Controllers</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">National Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">NI 9263</td>
			<td style="width:303px;">Connects to cDAQ-9172 
			Computer control for Mass Flow Controllers</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Testing software</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">National Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:129px;">LabVIEW 8.6</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Ceramabond</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Aremco</td>
			<td>552-VFG</td>
			<td>1 Pint</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

combustion characterization and model fuel development for micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cells

Combustion based power generation has been accomplished for many years through a number of heat engine systems. Recently, a move towards small scale power generation and micro combustion as well as development in fuel cell research has created new means of power generation that combine solid oxide fuel cells with open flames and combustion exhaust. Instead of relying upon the heat of combustion, these solid oxide fuel cell systems rely on reforming of the fuel via combustion to generate syngas for electrochemical power generation. Procedures were developed to assess the combustion by-products under a wide range of conditions. While theoretical and computational procedures have been developed for assessing fuel-rich combustion exhaust in these applications, experimental techniques have also emerged. The experimental procedures often rely upon a gas chromatograph or mass spectrometer analysis of the flame and exhaust to assess the combustion process as a fuel reformer and means of heat generation. The experimental techniques developed in these areas have been applied anew for the development of the micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cell. The protocol discussed in this work builds on past techniques to specify a procedure for characterizing fuel-rich combustion exhaust and developing a model fuel-rich combustion exhaust for use in flame-assisted fuel cell testing. The development of the procedure and its applications and limitations are discussed.

The combustion characterization chamber should be checked prior to testing at the desired equivalence ratios for back-flow of air into the chamber or other air leakage during testing. Combustion processes in open chambers are known to be nearly isobaric. As a result, pressure within the combustion chamber may not be enough to ensure that no air from the external environment is back-flowing into the combustion chamber from the chamber exhaust port or other leakage points. There are several...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Combustion Characterization and Model Fuel Development for Micro-tubular Flame-assisted Fuel Cells at JoVE.com

Combustion Characterization and Model Fuel Development for Micro-tubular Flame-assisted Fuel Cells

A protocol for creating a model fuel-rich combustion exhaust is developed through combustion characterization and is applied for micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cell testing and research.

Combustion based power generation has been accomplished for many years through a number of heat engine systems. Recently, a move towards small scale power ...

The overall goal of this combustion characterization experiment is to develop a model combustion exhaust by mixing the exhaust species of interest in order to test a solid oxide fuel cell in the mixture. This maxsold can help answer key questions in solid oxide fuel cell fields, such as whether fewer rich combustion is forming instead of endothermic fuel reformer. The main advantage of this technique is that we can develop a model combustion exhaust for fuel cell testing without actually developing an entire burner and fuel cell prototype.Visual demonstration of this method is critical, as the experimental setup procedure, safety precautions and troubleshooting can be difficult to understand by reading a manuscript alone. Construct the characterization apparatus using a prepared combustion chamber at a bench with sources of air and the methane fuel. Select the mass flow controllers based on previously determined flow rates.For this experiment, use a 40 liter per minute controller for methane. Use a 200 liter per minute controller for air. Next, get copper tubing and connect it to the outlet of the methane source.From there, connect the tubing to the fuel mass flow controller. Similarly, connect the air mass flow controller to its source. For safety, add a one way valve after the methane flow controller.Orient the valve to only allow flow away from the controller and connect it to the controller output. Next, use copper tubing to merge the flows from the air and the fuel flow controllers. Have the flows from the controllers enter a T connector.As added safety measures, place a flame arrestor and another one way valve after the T connector. In this setup, the one way valve is connected first to the T connector, oriented to allow flow away from the T connector. The flame arrestor is next.At the source tanks for the gases, set the regulators to the appropriate pressures. For this experiment, that is 138 kilopascal. Back at the bench, obtain leak detection solution to test all the tubing for leaks.With the flow controllers on, apply the leak detection solution with a brush onto the copper tubing. Make sure there are no bubbles which would indicate a leak. At this point, turn attention to the combustion chamber and it's attached burner.This chamber has K type thermocouples already in place, with their tips at the center of the chamber. Ports along the chamber length accommodate both combustion exhaust analysis and the thermocouples. Mount the thermocouples using compression fittings matched to their diameter.To add a thermocouple, begin with the stem of the compression fitting that is already in the chamber wall. Place an appropriate high temperature metal feral into the stem. Next, lower the compression nut with a thermocouple probe threaded through it onto the stem.Push the thermocouple probe through until its end is at the center of the chamber. Then tighten the compression nut to seal the chamber against leaks from this opening. Connect the thermocouples to the computer setup for data acquisition and control.Return to connect the output of the mass flow controllers to the combustion chamber burner. For this, use copper tubing to send the flow from the one way valve to the combustion chamber. The final addition is the hardware for testing the exhaust, which has already been assembled here.For this, an exhaust port in the chamber allows gases to flow into the copper tubing. This tubing goes into a three way valve. One output of the valve is tubing leading to a gas chromatograph.The other output is tubing that goes to a 25 milliliter syringe used for drawing and redirecting exhaust. The setup can now be used for characterization. Before testing, prepare the syringe and three way valve.First, push the syringe plunger in fully. Then ensure the three way valve is open on the exhaust port side. Move to the computer to start the fuel and air flowing and start data collection.Initiate the air flow and the methane flow using a rich mixture for ease of ignition. Get a butane lighter and move to the end of the combustion chamber. When it is safe to do so, ignite the mixture.Before proceeding, perform a visual check to make sure the flame has stabilize at the burner front. This flame is changing as the air flow is slowly adjusted to the desired value to avoid quenching the flame. Meanwhile, monitor the thermocouple temperatures and record the temperature data when the temperatures stabilize.Now, go to the syringe connected to the three way valve. Pull the plunger back to extract residual gas and exhaust from the exhaust port. Use the three way valve to open the gas chromatograph side and close the exhaust port side.Continue by pushing the plunger until all of the exhaust has been sent to the gas chromatograph. Return the valve to allow the syringe to extract more residual gas and exhaust. Continue extracting gas and injecting it into the gas chromatograph until all residual gases are removed.When all the residual gases have bee removed, extract a final exhaust sample for analysis. Turn the three way valve and push the exhaust gas into the gas chromatograph. Perform the gas chromatograph analysis and record the data.Continue by choosing another air flow rate and repeating the analysis for the new equivalents ratio. These results for chemical equilibrium analysis of methane and air combustion give the thermodynamic equilibrium predictions of the exhaust gas composition at different equivalents ratios. The left vertical axis is for the volume percentage of Nitrogen gas, plotted in black.The right vertical axis gives the volume percentage scale for the exhaust products and other molecules. This analysis will not necessarily match the experiment data perfectly, but should indicate expected trends and magnitude of the results. Initial experiment data for the combustion chamber did not follow the trends expected from chemical equilibrium analysis.For example, the molecular oxygen data in red, suggests a high concentration at high equivalence ratios compared to low equivalence ratios. This is a possible indication of incomplete mixing or back flow in the combustion chamber, which other data corroborated. When back flow is identified and prevented, the data were more consistent with the trends expected from chemical equilibrium analysis.After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to characterize a combustion exhaust and to build a model combustion exhauster for fuel cell testing. Don't forget that working with combustion can be extremely hazardous and precautions such as flame arrestor, one way valves and other personal protective equipment should always be used while performing this procedure. Following this procedure, other methods, like integrating a fuel cell and a burner together can help answer additional questions about long term performance stability, Carbon deposition, and total system efficiency of the flame assisted fuel cell.

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9.4K vistas.  Syracuse University. The overall goal of this combustion characterization experiment is to develop a model combustion exhaust by mixing the exhaust species of interest in order to test a solid oxide fuel cell in the mixture. This maxsold can help answer key questions in solid oxide fuel cell fields, such as whether fewer rich combustion is forming instead of endothermic fuel reformer. The main advantage of this technique is that we can develop a model combustion exhaust for fuel cell testing without actually deve...