OPERATION OF PHOSPHORIC ACID FUEL CELLS ON COAL GASES

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP IMPROVED ANODE ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR COAL GAS BASED PHOSPHORIC ACID FUEL CELLS (PAFCS). BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE (H2S) IN COAL-DERIVED GASES, THE REVERSIBILITY OF HYDROGEN OXIDATION ON PLATINUM IN PHOSPHORIC ACID IS ADVERSELY AFFECTED, AND POLARIZATION LOSSES AT THE ANODE ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN COULD BE EXPECTED FROM THE BEHAVIOR OF PURE HYDROGEN AT THE ANODE. THE UTILIZATION OF ENERGY IN COAL GAS FUELED PAFC CAN BE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED ANODE ELECTROCATALYSTS, WHICH ARE RESISTANT TO POISONING BY CO AND H2S SIMULTANEOUSLY. PRIMARY EMPHASIS IN THIS PROGRAM WILL BE TO PREPARE PLATINUM AND PLATINUM ALLOY ELECTROCATALYSTS WITH HIGH SURFACE AREA AND TO OBTAIN IMPROVED CATALYST UTILIZATION. NOVEL PLATINUM ALLOYS IN A HIGHLY DISPERSED FORM WILL BE PREPARED USING STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY AND WILL BE COMPARED WITH KNOWN ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR ACTIVITY AND STABILITY FOR COAL GAS FUELED PAFC.