Corrosion problems and materials requirement,s for molten carbonate fuel cells

Conference · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · Proc. - Electrochem. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7153339

Singh, P

Excessive corrosion of molten carbonate fuel cell hardware has been observed during laboratory-scale cell tests. Problems arising due to such a degradation of materials in fuel cell atmospheres (both fuel and oxidant gases) have been studied and their role in decaying the cell performance have also been examined. In order to develop corrosion resistant materials for cell hardware, both incell and out-of-cell tests were carried out in fuel and oxidant gas atmospheres on several candidate materials. It is evident from these tests that stainless steels experience oxidation, carburization, and hot corrosion type of attack in the anode gas atmosphere leading to comparatively thicker scale growth. In the cathode gas atmosphere, however, corrosion resistance is offered by the formation of protective scale and the absence of scale fluxing. In-cell tests on thermodynamically stable materials (copper and nickel clad stainless steel) in the anode gas atmosphere indicate that copper from the substrate diffuses rapidly into the electrode whereas carbide formation takes place at the nickel/stainless steel interface making the material unsuitable for the long-term application.

• Research Organization: Energy Systems Programs Department General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-80ET17019
• OSTI ID: 7153339
• Report Number(s): CONF-811013-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Proc. - Electrochem. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 83-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300503* -- Fuel Cells-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360105 -- Metals & Alloys-- Corrosion & Erosion
ALLOYS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CARBURIZATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COATINGS
COPPER
CORROSION
CORROSION RESISTANCE
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
DECOMPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
FUEL CELLS
GASES
HARDENING
HIGH-TEMPERATURE FUEL CELLS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MATERIALS
MATERIALS TESTING
METALS
MOLTEN CARBONATE FUEL CELLS
NICKEL
OXIDATION
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS
SURFACE HARDENING
SURFACE TREATMENTS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TESTING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS