A Brief Description of High Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell’s Operation, Materials, Design, Fabrication Technologies and Performance

Abstract

Today's world needs highly efficient systems that can fulfill the growing demand for energy. One of the promising solutions is the fuel cell. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is considered by many developed countries as an alternative solution of energy in near future. A lot of efforts have been made during last decade to make it commercial by reducing its cost and increasing its durability. Different materials, designs and fabrication technologies have been developed and tested to make it more cost effective and stable. This article is focused on the advancements made in the field of high temperature SOFC. High temperature SOFC does not need any precious catalyst for its operation, unlike in other types of fuel cell. Different conventional and innovative materials have been discussed along with properties and effects on the performance of SOFC's components (electrolyte anode, cathode, interconnect and sealing materials). Advancements made in the field of cell and stack design are also explored along with hurdles coming in their fabrication and performance. This article also gives an overview of methods required for the fabrication of different components of SOFC. The flexibility of SOFC in terms fuel has also been discussed. Performance of the SOFC with varying combination of electrolyte, anode, cathode and fuel is also described in this article.

Flow Analysis Based on Cathodic Current Using Different Designs of Channel Distribution In PEM Fuel Cells

“…Three different versions of serpentine gas flow field design were investigated because it is usually the reference of choice in the literature. Some of the main points about the performance of fuel cells can be mentioned: (a) for fuel cell energy systems, the development of appropriate thermal management is a fundamental issue [2]; (b) the flowfield channel of a PEM fuel cell can enhance the mass transfer of reactant gas from the channel into the catalyst layer and improve cell performance [3]; (c) the design of the geometries is fundamental in the operation of the fuel cell [4]; (d) fuel cell technology is an alternative in the use of alternative energy [5]; (e) companies such as Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) have been developing fuel cell (FC) technology since 1992; TMC created a new fuel cell in 2008 that improved the removal of water and gas diffusion by adopting a newly-developed three-dimensional (3D) fine-mesh flow field at the cathode, and through the use of fuel cells, the performance in car engines has been improved [6,7]; (f) the pressure drop is one of the factors that influences the overall performance of the cell, both directly and indirectly through the interaction with other factors, including water management in the cell; different designs were analyzed through computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the effect of varying the flow rate on the pressure drop for each of the designs modeled was studied [8]; (g) the flow distribution obtained with three different bipolar plate geometries has been studied, analyzing their fluid dynamic performance. Three plate topologies were selected in a way representative of different design models commonly used from experimental and numerical simulations, and using simulation, it was possible to determine the most optimal channel geometry [9].…”

Yb2O3 Doped Zr0.92Y0.08O2-α(8YSZ) and Its Composite Electrolyte for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

“…[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]. Electrolytes based on an oxide ion conducting divalent or trivalent cations stabilized zirconia have been widely studied [14,15,16,17].…”

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of an Apatite‐Type Lanthanum Silicate Ceramic for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrolyte Applications

“…The alternative energy technology devices such as fuel cells, supercapacitors, and lithium‐ion batteries are the most suitable electrochemical energy sources for conversion and storage . Among these, fuel cells, in particular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), are the most promising for future markets due to their high efficiency energy conversion, fuel adaptability, reliability, modular construction, and nonpolluting nature (zero emissions) . However, to date, most of the SOFCs are manufactured using yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the electrolyte due to its pure ionic conducting nature over a wide oxygen partial pressure range and ease to fabricate highly dense ceramics .…”

“…[1] Among these, fuel cells, in particular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), are the most promising for future markets due to their high efficiency energy conversion, fuel adaptability, reliability, modular construction, and nonpolluting nature (zero emissions). [1][2][3][4][5] However, to date, most of the SOFCs are manufactured using yttriastabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the electrolyte due to its pure ionic conducting nature over a wide oxygen partial pressure range and ease to fabricate highly dense ceramics. [6][7][8][9] Apart from YSZ, several families of oxide-ion-conducting materials have been developed as solid electrolytes for SOFCs application; these include fluorite type (stabilized CeO 2 and d-Bi 2 O 3 ), pervoksite type (LaGaO 3 , Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 ), brownimillerite type (Ba 2 Ln 2 O 3 ), aurivillus type (BIMEVOX), pyrochlore type (Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 ), and apatite-type oxides.…”