Low-cost Fabrication and Improved Performance of SOFC Stack Components

Objective

The world wide competitiveness in the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology requires the development of high performance SOFC components with low cost fabrication methods. The fabrication methods must be easy to scale up and should be generic to different SOFC stack designs.

The aim of this project is to fabricate low cost, high performance SOFC stack components by the use of cheap state of the art materials and cheap, environmentally friendly printing techniques. The objectives of this project proposal are therefore to:
1. Develop environmentally friendly inks and printing techniques for the fabrication of:
1.1. Very thin (20 40 ,um) YSZ electrolytes (3 and 8 10 mol% Y203). 1.2. High performance, graded anodes based on Ni YSZ cermets and suitably doped LC with high catalytic activity.
1.3. High performance graded cathodes based on state of the art LSM YSZ composites and LSM LSCo as cathode current collector.
1.4. Dense, gas tight and stable interconnects based on LC. 2. Testing and optimization of the performance of individual components down to 800 C.
3. Testing and modelling of small stack performance of the two above mentioned SOFC stack designs at temperatures down towards 800 C, and under realistic circumstances using hydrogen, methane and natural gas as fuels.
4. Assessment of the cost and environmental aspects of the fully developed printing technique for fabrication of SOFC stack components of the two different designs.

The following achievements are expected:
- Establishment of cheap, environmentally friendly and generic fabrication methods of SOFC stack components with sufficiently high performance as calculated by the cost performance analyses (using the proposed technology it is expected that the cost of such SOFC stacks can be reduced to less than 1 kECU/kWe upon scale up).
- Cells and small cell assemblies (flat plate and supported series connected SOFCs) giving a power density better than 0.5 Wcm 2 and 0.8 Wcm 2, at 800 and 900 C respectively, when tested under realistic circumstances, i.e. using available, distributed fuels.

The Consortium consists of a large manufacturer of power stations, a large end user utility, two manufacturing SMEs and two leading research organisations. This combination of industrial partners and research organisations will ensure the development of high performing, low cost components and a fast exploitation of the results of this project.

Fields of science

• engineering and technology › materials engineering › composites
• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › energy and fuels › fossil energy › natural gas
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › organic chemistry › aliphatic compounds
• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › energy and fuels › fuel cells

Programme(s)

• FP4-BRITE/EURAM 3 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 0201 - Materials engineering

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

RISOE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Address

Frederiksborgvej 399
Roskilde
Denmark

Links

Participants (5)

GAZ DE FRANCE

France

Address

23,avenue Du Président Wilson 361
93211 La Plaine Saint-denis

IRD a/s

Denmark

Address

7,kullinggade
5700 Svendborg

Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble

France

Address

1130,rue De La Piscine
38402 Saint Martin D'hères

Napier University

United Kingdom

Address

10 Colinton Road
EH10 4DF Edinburgh

Rolls Royce plc

United Kingdom

Address

Moor Lane
DE24 8BJ Derby