The use of ethanol in solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

This work reports a review on the status and technical feasibility of the application of ethanol as fuel for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), presenting both external reform and cell with direct utilization of ethanol. Based on this survey, both experimental results and mathematical modeling indicated the technical feasibility of power generation by ethanol SOFC, with cell units producing 450 mW/cm2, sufficient for scale up to large stationary plants. The quantitative assessments in the literature show this field to be promising for researchers and private sector investment as well being a strategic technology for government policy in the short and long term.