An energy management system having a fuel cell apparatus (150) as a power generator that generates power using fuel, and an EMS (200) that communicates with the fuel cell apparatus (150). The EMS (200) receives messages that indicate a type of the fuel cell apparatus (150), from the fuel cell apparatus (150).

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are operated at elevated pressure to provide increased operating voltage and/or enhanced CO.sub.2 utilization with a cathode input stream having a low CO.sub.2 content. It has been discovered that increasing the operating pressure of a molten carbonate fuel cell when using a low CO.sub.2-content cathode input stream can provide unexpectedly large increases in operating voltage while also reducing or minimizing the amount of alternative ion transport and/or enhancing CO.sub.2 utilization.

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are operated at elevated pressure to provide increased operating voltage and/or enhanced CO.sub.2 utilization with a cathode input stream having a low CO.sub.2 content. It has been discovered that increasing the operating pressure of a molten carbonate fuel cell when using a low CO.sub.2-content cathode input stream can provide unexpectedly large increases in operating voltage while also reducing or minimizing the amount of alternative ion transport and/or enhancing CO.sub.2 utilization.

Disclosed is a homogeneous catalyst having a single phase of Perovskite oxide, wherein at least one doping element is substituted at site A, site B or sites A and B in ABO.sub.3 Perovskite type oxide so that the wettability with a liquid molten carbonate electrolyte may be decreased. The catalyst may have high catalytic activity, inhibit catalyst poisoning caused by creepage and evaporation of a liquid molten carbonate electrolyte, maintain high reaction activity for a long time, provide high methane conversion, and allow production of synthetic gas having a high proportion of hydrogen.

A composition for use in forming a fuel cell matrix includes a support material, an electrolyte material, and an additive material that includes a plurality of flakes having an average length in a range of 5 to 40 micrometers and an average thickness of less than 1 micrometer.

A method for replenishing an electrolyte of a molten carbonate fuel cell stack includes: preparing an electrolyte colloidal solution containing 10% to 20% of the electrolyte and having a viscosity of 200 to 800 Pa.Math.s; replenishing the electrolyte of the cell stack using the electrolyte colloidal solution prepared in step 1 to allow the electrolyte to adhere to an electrode and an internal channel of the cell stack; discharging excess electrolyte colloidal solution in the cell stack; and drying and discharging water or an organic solvent in the cell stack under an inert gas condition to complete replenishment of the electrolyte of the cell stack, and performing a discharge performance test.

There is described a method for producing hydrogen and generating electrical power. A hydrocarbon fuel source is decomposed into hydrogen and carbon using a hydrocarbon dissociation reactor. The carbon is separated from the hydrogen in a carbon separator. Electrical power is generated from the separated carbon using a direct carbon fuel cell.

Provided is a carbon dioxide electrolysis-carbon deposition/carbon fuel cell-integrated apparatus which enable interconversion between electric energy and chemical energy (electrodeposited carbon) through the use of an integrated electrochemical reaction system with a molten salt.

A binder solution for an electrolyte matrix for use with molten carbonate fuel cells is provided. The binder solution includes a first polymer with a molecular weight of less than about 150,000 and a second binder with a molecular weight of greater than about 200,000. The binder solution produces an electrolyte matrix with improved flexibility, matrix particle packing density, strength, and pore structure.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an industrially advantageous method for producing α-lithium aluminate which has physical properties that are suitable for use as an electrolyte holding plate of a MCFC having excellent thermal stability, even if the α-lithium aluminate is a fine material having a BET specific surface area of 10 m.sup.2/g or higher in particular. Provided is a method for producing α-lithium aluminate characterized by subjecting a mixture (a), which is obtained by mixing transitional alumina and lithium carbonate at an Al/Li molar ratio of 0.95-1.01, to a first firing reaction so as to obtain a fired product, and subjecting a mixture (b), which is obtained by adding an aluminum compound to the obtained fired product at quantities whereby the molar ratio of aluminum atoms in the aluminum compound relative to lithium atoms in the fired product (Al/Li) is 0.001-0.05, to a second firing reaction.