Abstract
To evaluate the effects of 
on the performance of molten carbonate fuel cells, bench‐scale cell tests were performed and the meniscus heights of the electrolyte on Ni were measured with fuel gases containing various amounts of 
. In bench‐scale cell tests, 
in the fuel gas had a large effect on cell voltage in the early operating stages, but this effect showed a tendency to decrease with operating time. Basic wetting property measurements revealed that Ni becomes better wetted at higher 
concentrations. In calculations of the electrolyte distributions, the electrolyte fill of the anode with 
was found to be higher than that without 
. This study simulates the electrolyte distributions taking into account the effects of 
levels, the electrolyte loss and the change in pore size distributions of the electrodes, and discusses the relation between electrolyte distribution and cell performance. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.