Toto Ltd.

Nobuo Isaka

Naoki Watanabe

Shigeru Ando

Yutaka Momiyama

Osamu Okamoto

Masaki Sato

Seiki Furuya

Kiyoshi Hayama

Shuhei Tanaka

Takuya Hoshiko

Yasuo Kakinuma

Shuichiro Saigan

Yousuke Akagi

Hironobu Murakami

Akira Kawakami

Toshiharu Ooe

Chihiro Kobayashi

Megumi Shimazu

Yuya Takahashi

Masato Ota

To provide SOFC and method for manufacturing same, capable of preventing breakage of fuel cell electrodes, and of securing an electrical connection between fuel cells and a current collector. SOFCcomprising a cell array composed of fuel cells, and current collectorconnected to electrodes formed on fuel cells, wherein current collectoris a metal plate on which attaching holesare formed; elastic piecesare provided on each attaching hole; current collectoris attached to the cell array using elastic pieces, by the insertion of fuel cellinto attaching holes; and elastic piecesare affixed to fuel cellsby electrode protective layerso that the positions of elastic piecesare not displaced relative to the electrodes on fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cell device and method for manufacturing same

A solid oxide fuel cell stack includes a support, a plurality of power generation elements provided on a surface of the support, the plurality of power generation elements connected in series, each including at least a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode stacked in that order, and an interconnector that electrically connects an air electrode in one of adjacent power generation elements to a fuel electrode in the other power generation element. A solid electrolyte in adjacent one power generation element is provided between a fuel electrode in the adjacent one power generation element and the fuel electrode in the adjacent other power generation element, and an insulating member is provided at a position that is on the solid electrolyte in the adjacent one power generation element and between the air electrode in the adjacent one power generation element and the solid electrolyte therein.

Solid oxide fuel cell stack

To provide a method for manufacturing SOFC, capable of preventing breakage of fuel cell electrodes, and of securing an electrical connection between fuel cells and a current collector. Step for forming electrode protective layerson electrodes formed on fuel cells, modularization step for forming a cell array, and attaching step for attaching a current collectorto the cell array, wherein current collectoris a metal plate on which attaching holesare formed for the insertion of fuel cells, elastic piecesare formed at each attaching hole, fuel cellsare inserted into attaching holes, and current collectoris attached to the cell array by the elastic force; and protective layeris constituted to prevent damage to electrodes caused by contact with elastic pieces.

Method for manufacturing a solid oxide fuel cell device

A solid oxide fuel cell stack includes a support, a plurality of power generation elements connected in series, each including a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode stacked in that order on the support, and an interconnector electrically connecting an air electrode in one of the two adjacent power generation elements to a fuel electrode in the other power generation element. A solid electrolyte for one of the power generation elements is provided on the downside of the interconnector provided on the downside of the air electrode in the one power generation element so that the solid electrolyte is joined to the interconnector, and a solid electrolyte for the other power generation element is provided on the upper side of the interconnector provided on the upper side of the fuel electrode for the other power generation element so that the solid electrolyte is joined to the interconnector.

Provided is a solid oxide fuel cell unit comprising an insulating support, and a power generation element comprising, at least, a fuel electrode, an electrolyte and an air electrode, which are sequentially laminated one another, the power generation element being provided on the insulating support, wherein an exposed insulating support portion, an exposed fuel electrode portion, and an exposed electrolyte portion are provided in an fuel electrode cell end portion.

Solid oxide fuel cell unit

The present invention provides a novel manufacturing method for a solid oxide fuel cell apparatus in which members of the apparatus are joined together with an adhesive, such as a ceramic adhesive. The method implements first and second types of drying and hardening steps. The first type of step may be called a workable hardening step and gives an assembly of members in the solid oxide fuel cell apparatus structural rigidity to go through assembling of the solid oxide fuel cell apparatus. The second type of step may be called a solvent elimination and hardening step and gives the assembled members property to withstand the operation temperature of the solid fuel oxide cell apparatus. The first type of step is performed at a first temperature lower than a second temperature at which the second type of step is performed. The second type of step is performed only after the first type of step is performed at multiple times.

Solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for same

Provided is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support comprises forsterite and a nickel element. Ni and/or NiO fine particles are exposed on a surface of a sintered compact of the forsterite constituting the porous support.

Solid oxide fuel cell and method for producing the same

Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes an inner electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an outer electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and further has a strontium element concentration of 0.02 mass % to 1 mass % both inclusive in terms of SrO based on the mass of the forsterite.

In a fuel cell unitthat constitutes a fuel cell moduleof an SOFC device, a collector capis connected to an inner electrode layervia a seal materialas an Ag seal portion. A glass coating(dense body) is filled up between the inner electrode layerand an electrolyte layerand the collector capto cover an upper end surfaceof the seal material. As such, the fuel cell unitincludes the seal materialconstituting as an Ag seal portion that separates a fuel gas from an oxidant gas, and a glass coatingat least partially formed to over at least either the fuel gas side surface of the seal materialor an the oxidant gas side surface of the seal material

Solid oxide fuel cell device

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell preventing formation of a diffusion layer containing Ca and other elements, and having an excellent power generation performance at low temperature by preventing breakdown of a crystal structure of an electrolyte by firing. Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes an inner electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an outer electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and has a Mg/Si molar ratio of 1.90 to 2.2 both inclusive, and an A-to-B ratio (A/B) of 0.0% to 9.0% both inclusive, where A denotes a maximum peak height which appears at a diffraction angle 2&#x3b8;=26.5&#xb0; to 27.0&#xb0; and B denotes a maximum peak height which appears at 36.5&#xb0; to 37.0&#xb0; in a powder X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by using Cu-K&#x3b1; radiation.

Solid oxide fuel cell

The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cellincluding a reforming section, disposed inside a fuel gas supply flow pathabove a vaporizing sectionto surround the upper portion of a fuel cell stack, for steam reforming raw fuel gas F introduced from a fuel gas introducing portionusing steam S produced in a vaporizing section; and a circulating flow path portiondisposed in a fuel gas supply flow path between the vaporizing section and the reforming section for circulating rising raw fuel gas introduced from a fuel gas introducing section into a fuel gas supply flow path and rising steam produced in the vaporizing section along the circumferential direction of the fuel gas supply flow path so as to form a flow supplying mixed raw fuel gas and steam uniformly over the entire circumference of the reforming section.

The present invention comprises fuel cellsdisposed within a fuel cell module, a reformer, a reformer temperature sensorfor detecting a reforming state temperature, and a control sectionfor controlling the operation of the fuel cell module. The control section prohibits the normal startup POX and executes a restart control different from the normal startup POX when the reforming state temperature is at least in a high temperature region within the POX temperature band in a state in which the operation of the solid oxide fuel cell module is stopped.

Solid oxide fuel cell system performing different restart operations depending on operation temperature

The fuel cell assembly of the present invention comprises a first fuel cell, a second fuel cell disposed adjacent to the first fuel cell, and a current collector for electrically connecting the first fuel cell and the second fuel cell. The first fuel cell and the second fuel cell are respectively furnished with an electrical generating portion for generating electricity, each of the electrical generation portion having a first electrode through the interior of which a first gas flows, a second electrode of a polarity different from the first electrode, on the exterior of which a second gas flows, and an electrolyte disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The current collector distributes and sources the current generated in the first fuel cell generating portion from two different locations on the first electrode on the first fuel cell to the second electrode of the second fuel cell.

Fuel cell assembly and fuel cell device with current collector between fuel cells

The present invention comprises individual fuel cellsdisposed within a fuel cell module; a reformer; a reformer temperature sensorand generating chamber temperature sensorfor detecting the reforming state temperature inside the reformer, and a control sectionfor controlling the fuel cell module operation. In a state whereby a stopping of fuel cell module operation has been executed from a high temperature, this control section skips the normal startup ATR and executes a restart control by the SR when the reforming state temperature is within the normal startup ATR temperature band and a restart of operation has been executed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell preventing formation of a diffusion layer containing Ca and other elements, and having an excellent power generation performance at low temperature by preventing breakdown of a crystal structure of an electrolyte by firing. Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and further has a calcium element (Ca) content of more than 0.2 mass % but not more than 2 mass % in terms of CaO.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Nobuo Isaka