Integration of Oxide Anodes into the Rolls‐Royce IP‐SOFC Concept

Abstract

The limitations of the current state of the art Ni‐YSZ cermet anodes with respect to Redox stability, coking and sulphur tolerance are well acknowledged. A material which mitigates all or even some of these issues would be of great importence for the continued development of robust SOFC systems. One such promising material system is based around the perovskite (La,Sr)Cr0.5Mn0.5O3 (LSCM). In this paper, some aspects of the work, carried out to integrate LSCM anodes into the IP‐SOFC, are described. The intricacies of the introduction of a new material into an existing stack design concept are considered and how this impacts the performance and requirements of adjacent materials. In the case of the LSCM integration, at least as much work has gone into the development of these layers as into the anode itself. In particular, the design of a current collector to optimise both the conductivity across the layers and the adhesion to the anode has proved to be a challenging task within the normal design constraints of the IP‐SOFC. Initial perfomance of around 75 mW cm–2 in a stack repeat unit test is encouraging and initial analysis has suggested that further development of the current collecting microstructure will confer significant performance improvements.

A Review of RedOx Cycling of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Anode

“…Similar results are shown for (La 0.8 ,Sr 0.2 )(Cr 0.98 ,V 0.02 ) 3 /CGO/NiO and (Sr 0.86 ,Y 0.08 )TiO 3 /CGO/NiO anodes [ 248 , 249 ]. Recently, Cassidy et al reported the integration of the LSCM anode in the Rolls-Royce IP-SOFC concept, the power density is relatively low with 75 mW/cm 2 [ 250 ].…”

Upscaling of Co‐Impregnated La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 Anodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: A Progress Report on a Decade of Academic‐Industrial Collaboration

“…[ 87 ] Another example, closer to SOFC research, is the emergence of catalyst exsolution as a highly promising area of fundamental study, [ 19,22 ] the origins of which can be traced back to the engineering need for the types of microstructures created by impregnation techniques [ 89 ] in multilayer systems where electrode infiltration was not possible due to adjacent porous supports. [ 90 ] While some have advocated that fundamental studies should have primacy in fuel cell development, to fully understand all the issues before proceeding, [ 91 ] one cannot ignore the importance of pushing toward applications and increasing the numbers of units for deployment. Both can help in identifying critical problems and provide impetus for finding their solutions, as David Edgerton proposes: “Innovation and invention rarely lead to use, but use often leads to invention and innovation.” [ 92 ] Similarly, recent efforts are beginning to show progress in cost reduction of some types of fuel cell system where deployment of larger numbers has been prioritized such as in the Japanese ENE‐FARM programme.…”