| A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) converts energy carriers such as natural gas into electric current directly and at extremely high rates of efficiency. First, the gas is desulfurized. Within the fuel cell module at 1,000 °C, the natural gas is converted into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which flow along the outer walls of the ceramic tubes.
In the next step, air is pumped into the interior of the tubes. The oxygen component of the air, in the form of oxygen ions, permeates the zirconia electrolyte layer of the tube. There, it combines with the hydrogen to form water, and with the carbon monoxide to form carbon dioxide. The two "waste products" of the SOFC are therefore water vapor and carbon dioxide. The process also generates DC electric power, which is converted to AC power in an inverter and fed into the network. |
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