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Progress in High Power Density SOFC Material Development for Aerospace ApplicationsSolid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems for aircraft applications require order of magnitude increase in specific power density and long life under aircraft operating conditions. Advanced SOFC materials and fabrication processes are being developed at NASA GRC to increase specific power density and durability of SOFC cell and stack. Initial research efforts for increasing specific power density are directed toward increasing the operating temperature for the SOFC system and reducing the weight of the stack. While significant research is underway to develop anode supported SOFC system operating at temperatures in the range of 650 - 850 C for ground power generation applications, such temperatures may not yield the power densities required for aircraft applications. For electrode-supported cells, SOFC stacks with power densities greater than 1.0 W/sq cm are favorable at temperatures in excess of 900 C. The performance of various commercial and developmental anode supported cells is currently being evaluated in the temperature range of 900 to 1000 C to assess the performance gains and materials reliability. The results from these studies will be presented. Since metal interconnects developed for lower temperature operation are not practical at these high temperatures, advanced perovskite based ceramic interconnects with high electronic conductivity and lower sintering temperatures are being developed. Another option for increasing specific power density of SOFC stacks is to decrease the stack weight. Since the interconnect contributes to a significant portion of the stack weight, considerable weight benefits can be derived by decreasing its thickness. Eliminating the gas channels in the interconnect by engineering the pore structure in both anode and cathode can offer significant reduction in thickness of the ceramic interconnect material. New solid oxide fuel cells are being developed with porous engineered electrode supported structures with a 10 - 20 micron thin electrolyte. The performance data for advanced SOFC cells with engineered porosity in both electrodes will be presented.
Document ID
20050203890
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Cable, Thomas L.
(QSS Group, Inc. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Sofie, Stephen W.
(QSS Group, Inc. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Setlock, John A.
(Case Western Reserve Univ. OH, United States)
Misra, Ajay K.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
September 8, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Aircraft Propulsion And Power
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2004 Fuel Cell Seminar
Location: San Antonio, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: November 1, 2004
End Date: November 5, 2004
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 22-708-31-01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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