Heenan, TMM;
Nabavi, SA;
Erans, M;
Robinson, JB;
Kok, MDR;
Maier, M;
Brett, DJL;
... Manovic, V; + view all
(2020)
The Role of Bi-Polar Plate Design and the Start-Up Protocol in the Spatiotemporal Dynamics during Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anode Reduction.
Energies
, 13
(14)
, Article 3552. 10.3390/en13143552.
Preview |
Text
energies-13-03552-v2.pdf - Published Version Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Start-up conditions largely dictate the performance longevity for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The SOFC anode is typically deposited as NiO-ceramic that is reduced to Ni-ceramic during start-up. Effective reduction is imperative to ensuring that the anode is electrochemically active and able to produce electronic and ionic current; the bi-polar plates (BPP) next to the anode allow the transport of current and gases, via land and channels, respectively. This study investigates a commercial SOFC stack that failed following a typical start-up procedure. The BPP design was found to substantially affect the spatiotemporal dynamics of the anode reduction; Raman spectroscopy detected electrochemically inactive NiO on the anode surface below the BPP land-contacts; X-ray computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) identified associated contrasts in the electrode porosity, confirming the extension of heterogeneous features beyond the anode surface, towards the electrolyte-anode interface. Failure studies such as this are important for improving statistical confidence in commercial SOFCs and ultimately their competitiveness within the mass-market. Moreover, the spatiotemporal information presented here may aid in the development of novel BPP design and improved reduction protocol methods that minimize cell and stack strain, and thus maximize cell longevity.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Role of Bi-Polar Plate Design and the Start-Up Protocol in the Spatiotemporal Dynamics during Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anode Reduction |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3390/en13143552 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/en13143552 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | SOFC; fuel cell; anode; Ni–YSZ; REDOX; reduction; X-ray CT; Raman; SEM; degradation |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10104852 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
