During the reporting period, significant technical and scientific progress was achieved across multiple work packages and tasks. The consortium maintained highly effective communication among all partners, ensuring alignment of activities and facilitating smooth coordination. Regular technical meetings and bilateral discussions supported critical decisions regarding experimental planning and model development. One of the key achievements was the successful planning and finalization of agreements for the new test rig. Following a series of technical consultations, the design and specifications were completed, procurement initiated, and logistics resolved. The delivery and installation of the test rig are planned for late 2025. In parallel, dedicated efforts were made to refine the SOEC stack design in collaboration with consortium technical teams. Laboratory facilities were reorganized and upgraded to accommodate the new rig and to enable advanced testing protocols. The existing setup was enhanced to perform preliminary testing on SolydEra single cells, serving as a preparatory step for future stack-level experiments. Experimental activities included testing of the SolydEra single cell under three operational modes: steam electrolysis, co-electrolysis (H2O + CO2), and CO2 electrolysis. Cyclical operation tests were performed to simulate dynamic scenarios, and initial long-term testing over 100 hours was completed. Preparations are underway for extended durability tests targeting up to 2000 hours. Electrochemical characterization techniques, including impedance spectroscopy and Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT) analysis, were applied to evaluate performance and identify degradation mechanisms. At TU Graz, notable progress was made in extending existing 3D CFD models to account for degradation phenomena in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells. The focus was placed on incorporating nickel oxidation mechanisms into the model, enabling a more realistic representation of SOEL behavior under operating conditions. Initial implementation was performed in a simplified 2D framework to reduce computational requirements, with validation planned against experimental data from WP4. This work represents an important step towards developing a fully coupled 3D model capable of predicting performance losses due to key degradation processes. In summary, this reporting period was marked by strong coordination and significant advancements in experimental readiness and modeling capabilities. These achievements provide a solid foundation for the next phase, where full-stack testing and extended simulations will deliver deeper insights into SOEL performance and durability.
