Abstract
A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) unit is constructed by coating La0.6Sr0.4CoO3-δ-Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-x as the cathode onto a disk of anode- supported bilayer of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and Ni-YSZ. The SOFC operation is performed at 600 ℃ with a cathode gas simulating the lean-burn engine exhaust and at various fixed voltage, at open-circuit voltage, and with an inert gas flowing over the anode side, respectively. Electrochemical enhancement of NO decomposition occurs when the voltage is generated; smaller NO concentration results in larger NO conversion. Higher O2 concentration leads to higher enhancement. Higher operating voltage and higher O2 concentration can lead to both higher NO conversion and lower fuel consumption. Additionally, the NO conversion increases with the addition of C3H6 and SO2 into the cathode gas. These are beneficial for the application of the SOFCs to NO removal from lean-burn engine exhaust.