ELECTROLYTE FEEDING METHOD FOR MOLTEN CARBONATE TYPE FUEL CELL

PURPOSE:To feed the electrolyte simply and securely, by attaching an electrolyte which presents a solid form below the melting point to a reaction gas passage or a specific electrolyte pool, and after that, melting it in the cell to permeate in a matrix layer so as to feed the electrolyte. CONSTITUTION:The electrolyte to feed is a powder electrolyte 16 with the maximum particle diameter about 1 mm, made by melting an alkaline metal carbonate of Li2CO3: K2CO3= 62:38 (mol ratio), once at 700 deg.C, solidifying it, and then powdering by a grinder. After the electrolyte particles 16 are fed to a reaction gas passage 5, a manifold 10 is installed to a cell stack 7, and the electrolyte particles 16 are fed to the reaction gas passage 5 again. Therefore, when the temperature rises by the restarting of the operation, a high temperature gas is poured to another reaction gas passage 6 to which no electrolyte is fed, and heats the electrolyte particles. Since the electrolyte molten by the heating is absorbed to an electrode 2 gradually, the liquidified electrolyte never flows out of the passage 5. Therefore, the electrolyte can be absorbed to a matrix layer 1 securely, and can be fed to the gas passages 5 and 6 easily and rapidly.