Investigation of the Glass-Ceramic Sealants in SOFC Stacks

Abstract

The stack sealing is one of the most important factors in planar solid oxide fuel cell (pSOFC) applications. In this study, the barium-silicate glass with addition of Al2O3 were analyzed by ICP, DSC, and SEM. Differential thermal analysis was utilized to design the heat-treatment of the glass to obtain a glass-ceramic for sealing. The glass material and sealing process were verified on the 114×114 mm SOFC stack. A tight stack was obtained with a leak rate much better than the desired 0.004 SCCM/cm, which is equivalent to 0.001 MPa/s. A good electric performance was also found for a 6-layer sealed stack. Post-characterization was conducted for the seal dismounted from the stack via the methods of leakage inspection, SEM-EDS, and XRD. A good interaction was found between the glass-ceramic seal and the steel interconnect, due to the diffusion of aluminum from the glass component.

Synthesis, Structural Properties, and Resistance to High-Temperature Degradation of Perovskite Ceramics Based on Lanthanum–Strontium Ferrite

“…One of the promising directions in the transition from traditional energy sources to alternative ones are methods for generating energy from hydrogen using fuel cells based on proton-or oxygen-conducting membranes or solid fuel oxide cells (SOFCs) [1][2][3][4]. Moreover, when it comes to using high-temperature SOFC elements based on oxygen-containing membranes or ceramics, the operating temperature at which acceptable conductivity values are achieved is more than 700 • C, which results in high heat release, alongside a long start-up time [5,6]. Moreover, an essential factor influencing the use of such structures in the fuel cycle is the preservation of their stability and sustainability during operation for a long time (40,000-50,000 h) [7][8][9].…”