Fuel cell using methanol as fuel and molten carbonate as fuel element

摘要

A fuel element comprises (a) a device to supply a fuel, (b) a device to reform or decompose the fuel, thereby generating a hydrogen-containing gas and (c) a current-generating device which contains a fuel electrode to which the hydrogen-containing gas is fed, an oxidation electrode lying opposite it and an electrolyte layer between them. The first device supplies a fuel with a reform temperature that is lower than a first specified one. A temperature control device is provided between the second and the third devices to increase the temperature of the hydrogen- containing gas from a second specified temperature to a third one and to maintain its temperature at the third temperature.