Implications for using biogas as a fuel source for solid oxide fuel cells: internal dry reforming in a small tubular solid oxide fuel cell

The feasibility of operating a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) on biogas has been studied over a wide compositional range of biogas, using a small tubular solid oxide fuel cell system operating at 850 degreesC. It is possible to run the SOFC on biogas, even at remarkably low levels of methane, at which conventional heat engines would not work. The power output varies with methane content, with maximum power production occurring at 45% methane, corresponding to maximal production of H-2 and CO through internal dry reforming. Direct electrocatalytic oxidation of methane does not contribute to the power output of the cell. At higher methane contents methane decomposition becomes significant, leading to increased H-2 production, and hence transiently higher power production, and deleterious carbon deposition and thus eventual cell deactivation.