Korea Institute of Energy Research

Dong-Ryul Shin

Rak-Hyun Song

Jong-Hee Kim

Chang-Soo Kim

Byung-Rok Lee

Tak-Hyun Lim

Harumi Yokokawa

Eung-Yong Kim

Yi-Sup Han

Kwangg-Sun Jeon

Dong-You Chung

Dokiya Masayuki

Huy-Jeong Son

A sealing element and a sealing method for sealing both ends of an anode-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cell. The sealing element utilizes a coupling tube having one end opened to an exterior and a second end with a perforation hole, in which the coupling tube is formed with an internal cavity having a shape corresponding to an external appearance of an end portion of a fuel cell. A flow tube having a hollow section axially extends outwards from the second end of the coupling tube while communicating with the perforation hole. The sealing method involves cleaning the sealing element and fuel cell, surrounding an outer peripheral surface of an electrolyte layer on the ends of the fuel cell with a metallic filler material, inserting the fuel cell in a connection tube of the sealing element, heating and melting the filler material, and solidifying the melted filler material.

Sealing element for anode-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cell and sealing method using the same

An anode-supported flat-tubular solid oxide fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cells and a plurality of connector plates. Each of the fuel cells includes a supported tube having semi-cylinder parts and plate parts, a connector coated on an upper plate of the supported tube as a way to be positioned at the center of the upper plate, an electrolyte layer partly coated on an external surface of the supported tube except for a portion of the supported tube coming into contact with the connector, and an air electrode coated on an external surface of the electrolyte layer. Each of the connector plates includes a lower connector plate, middle connector plates, and an upper connector plate. A plurality of gas channels are formed on the middle and lower connector plates. The anode-supported flat-tubular solid oxide fuel cell stack has a large capacity, improved power density, and reduced production costs.

Anode-supported flat-tubular solid oxide fuel cell stack and fabrication method of the same

A method of making and fuel electrode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). For manufacturing the SOFC, YSZ powder containing 30 to 50 vol % of Ni is mixed with carbon powder to give a fuel electrolyte slurry which is pre-sintered, coated on a fuel electrode tube, and then the coated tube is sintered. An air electrode slurry made of (La, Sr)MnO powder is coated on the electrolyte-coated tube and sintered. The fuel electrode of the metal (Ni/ceramic (YSZ) cermet of the SOFC is a support and the electrolyte layer underlaying the air electrode is coated as a thin film. At about 1,000&deg; C., the Ni components of the fuel electrode are connected to each other like a mesh, improving the fuel electrode strength while the porous fuel electrode allows the sufficient permeation of fuel gas, thereby providing a large economical profit in the production cost without degradation of fuel cell performance.

Fuel electrode-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cell and method of manufacturing the same

Disclosed are a metallic interconnection material for solid oxide fuel cells and a preparation method thereof. The metallic interconnection material has two fine microstructural phases in which 5-25% by volume of LaCrO.sub.3 is dispersed at the grain boundaries of Cr particles. It can be prepared by mixing 75-95% by volume of a Cr powder and 5-25% by volume of an LaCrO.sub.3 powder, together with a solvent and a binder, in a mill, molding the mixture into a predetermined shape after drying, and sintering the molded shape at approximately 1,500.degree. C. for 10 hours in an Ar atmosphere with 5 vol % of hydrogen to give an LaCrO.sub.3 -dispersed Cr alloy. The LaCrO.sub.3 -dispersed Cr alloy shows high electric conductivity by virtue of the growth inhibition of Cr particles during sintering and high chemical stability by virtue of the presence of the rare earth metal, La, meeting meet the requirements for the interconnection materials for solid oxide fuel cells.

Metallic interconnection material for solid oxide fuel cell and method

There is disclosed a method for manufacturing an electrode for phosphate type fuel cells, utilizing a combination of a coating process and a rolling process. Carbon paper is waterproofed to give an electrode support. Separately, platinum-dispersed carbon powder (Pt/C) is added in a solvent and mechanically stirred to give a homogeneous mixture which is, then, added with a PTFE emulsion at an amount of about 40-55 wt % and stirred. Another stirring is executed in the presence of a bridge-builder and a peptization agent, to produce an electrocatalyst layer slurry. Using a coating apparatus, the electrocatalyst slurry is coated upon the electrode support in a uniform thickness. The resulting structure is dried for 30 min in an inert atmosphere of 225.degree. C. to completely remove the solvent from the catalyst layer, passed through a rolling apparatus and subjected to sintering for 30 min in an inert atmosphere of 350.degree. C., to produce the electrode. It exhibits the advantages of few cracks in the electrocatalyst layer and strong adhesiveness between the electrode support and the electrocatalyst layer.

Growing community of inventors

Taejon, South Korea

Dong-Ryul Shin