Effect of gas channel height on gas flow and gas diffusion in a molten carbonate fuel cell stack

An investigation is made of the relationships between the gas channel height, the gas-flow characteristics, and the gas-diffusion characteristics in a plate heat-exchanger type molten carbonate fuel cell stack. Effects of the gas channel height on the uniformity and pressure loss of the gas flow are evaluated by numerical analysis using a computational fluid dynamics code. The effects of the gas channel height on the distribution of the reactive gas concentration in the direction perpendicular to the channel flow are evaluated by an analytical solution of the two-dimensional concentration transport equation. Considering the results for uniformity and pressure loss of the gas flow, and for distribution of the reactive gas concentration, the appropriate gas channel height in the molten carbonate fuel cell stack is investigated.