Numerical analysis of the gas flow distribution characteristics in the anode flow channel of molten carbxmate fuel cell (MCFC)

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed to investigate flow characteristics in the anode channels and manifold of the internal reforming type molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). Considering the computational difficulties associated with the size and geometric complexity of the MCFC system, the polyhedral meshes that can reduce mesh connectivity problems at the intersection of the channel and the manifold are adopted and chemical reactions inside the MCFC system are not included. Through this study, the gas flow rate uniformity of the anode channels is mainly analyzed to provide basic insights into improved design parameters for anode flow channel design. Results indicate that the uniformity in flow-rate is in the range of ±1% between the anode channels. Also, the mal-distributed inlet flow-rate" conditions and the change in the size of the manifold depth have no significant effect on the flow-rate uniformity of the anode channels.