Characteristics of heat transfer in Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells(MCFC) installing offset-type fins are studied by using a fuel cell model consisting of electrodes, a perforated plate and a corrugated current collector. In this study the effect of several kinds of reacting gas on heat transfer characteristics is elucidated by measuring gas and surface temperatures, gas species composition, cell components and vertical heat flux. As a result, Wieting's equation to evaluate heat transfer characteristics in heat exchangers is not appropriate to the MCFC since Reynolds number in operating the MCFC is far less than the applicable range of the equation. Most of the vertical heat flux is controlled by heat conduction in the cell components. The convective heat transfer coefficient depends on kinds of gas species rather than the gas flow rate. Thermal properties affect the convective heat transfer coefficient. Especially, the vertical heat flux increases with an increase of H2 concentration. The obtained fundamental results can elucidate phenomena of heat transfer in practical MCFC appropriately.
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