Advanced fuel cell development. Progress report for October--December 1978. [LiAlO/sub 2/]
Advanced fuel cell research activities at Argonne National laboratory during the period of October--December 1978 are described. These efforts have been directed toward understanding and improving the components of molten--carbonate--electrolyte fuel cells operated at temperatures near 925/sup 0/K. The primary focus of this work has been the development of electrolyte structures that have good electrolyte retention and mechanical properties as well as long-term stability, and on developing methods of synthesis amendable to mass production. The characterization of these structures and their stability is an integral part of this effort. Current electrolyte structures are comprised of LiAlO/sub 2/ particles and an eutectic of Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ and K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/. The development of procedures for synthesizing LiAlO/sub 2/ from low cost materials is being pursued. The thermal stability of cold-pressed pellets of LiAlO/sub 2/ and carbonate eutectic has been tested at 925/sup 0/K for 22 to 2400 h in air, CO/sub 2/, and H/sub 2/--CO/sub 2/--H/sub 2/O. In general, under these test conditions the allotropic form of the LiAlO/sub 2/ particles remained stable, but their surface area decreased with time of heat treatment. Thermomechanical tests indicated that the strength of LiAlO/sub 2/ pellets increases with increased particle surface area. Several small (94 cm/sup 2/) cells have been operated in which the electrolyte tiles contained alkali carbonates and LiAlO/sub 2/, primarily the ..gamma.. allotrope. The performance of these cells was improved by using a high carbonate content (69 vol %) in the tiles and the mechanical strength of the tiles was improved by the use of a metal screen.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6262721
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-79-28
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Advanced fuel cell development. Progress report, April--June 1978. [LiAlO/sub 2/]
Advanced fuel cell development. Progress report, October--December 1977. [LiAlO/sub 2/ matrix for molten carbonate electrolytes]
Related Subjects
ALUMINATES
SYNTHESIS
HIGH-TEMPERATURE FUEL CELLS
MATRIX MATERIALS
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
ELECTROLYTES
EUTECTICS
LITHIUM CARBONATES
MOLTEN SALTS
PELLETS
PERFORMANCE
POTASSIUM CARBONATES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
STABILITY
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
FUEL CELLS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
REACTOR MATERIALS
SALTS
300503* - Fuel Cells- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
300501 - Fuel Cells- Design & Development