Selection and development of materials for high-endurance MCFC bipolar plate

Project Information

Grant agreement ID: JOE3950024

Project closed

Start date 1 January 1996

End date 30 June 1998

Funded under

• Specific programme for research and technological development, including demonstration in the field of non-nuclear energy, 1994-1998

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

No data

Coordinated by

ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE OF THE NETHERLANDS
Netherlands

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Deliverables

Selection And Development Of Materials For High-Endurance MCFC Bipolar Plate (ENDUPLATE)

The projected lifetime for the state of the art MCFC bipolar plate is about 10,000 hours, where the main lifetime limiting factor is the corrosion at the anode due to the deterioration of the nickel layer. An extension of the projected lifetimes to 40,000 hours will be beneficial to the economic feasibility of the MCFC. Within the Enduplate project two options to solve the endurance problem at the anode side of the bipolar plate have been investigated, aiming at an endurance over 40,000 hours: -The use of a special alloy as mid-plate material, which serves as a self-protective material in the anode environment, combined with a proper technique to ensure electrical contact between the mid-plate and the gas distribution elements on both sides. -Protection of the mid-plate in the current conducting region by an electrically conductive and protective coating. Also the properties of several alloys, which might serve as alternative materials for the presently used austenitic AISI 310 stainless steel at the cathode side of the bipolar plate, have been investigated, aiming at an endurance over 40,0000 hours. Besides the endurance demand the solutions for the anode side corrosion problem should not result in an increase of the resistance of more than 0.1 Wcm(2). For both options proper material combinations have been selected, and production techniques have been optimised. The endurances of both solutions are estimated to be well beyond the target of 40,000 hours. The electrical properties of both solutions fulfil the target; the resistance increase is much less than the target value of 0.1 Wcm(2). A cost analysis has shown that the extension of the endurance of the MCFC from 25,000 to 40,000 strongly influences the cost of electricity. The stainless steel option (option 1) seems to be the most cost-effective solution if manufacturing costs and projected lifetimes are taken into account.