Process analysis of molten carbonate fuel cells in carbon capture applications

Abstract Recently, Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFCs) are being increasingly investigated for carbon capture applications. The wet and low CO2 cathode feeds of such applications can substantially affect the electrochemistry of the cell. A dual-anion mechanism has been introduced to model this electrochemical regime characterized by the parallel migration of carbonate and hydroxide ions. A model based on this mechanism has been implemented in an in-house-developed Fortran code that has been now integrated into Aspen Plus. The model is able to calculate the main performance parameters on the plane of a cell when geometry as well as feed flow rates, compositions, temperature, pressure, and current density are provided as input data. In the present work, the application of the simulation tool is presented in a process analysis aimed to optimize the formulation of the electrochemical module, further evaluate the controlling factors of the dual-anion mechanism, and discuss possible technological optimizations.