Direct carbon fuel cell simulation using hybrid lb-fv approach: effect of carbon fuel specific surface area

Abstract

In the present study, the simulation of the direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) using a hybrid Lattice Boltzmann and finite volume approach is performed. The numerical model was first validated against available experimental data. Parametric studies were carried out to investigate the effect of the microstructure of the carbon fuel on the DCFC performance. The increase of the specific surface area (SSA) or porosity was found to minimize the voltage drop in the cell and ameliorate its output power density. In contrary, the increase of the tortuosity was found to inversely affect these results.

Keywords

• Direct carbon fuel cell
• Lattice Boltzmann method
• Carbon fuel
• Specific surface area
• Porosity
• Tortuosity.