Architectures for individual and stacked micro single chamber solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are electrochemical conversion devices that convert various fuel sources directly into electrical energy at temperatures ranging from 600°C to 1000°C. These high temperatures could potentially allow the direct use of various hydrocarbon fuel sources and hydrogen, without the need for expensive noble metal catalysis. Conventional SOFCs are designed in a two-chamber system, separating the fuel and oxidant flow to the anode and cathode, respectively. However, fuel cell manufacturing cost and robustness have proven to be the main challenges to rapid commercialization. A promising alternate method to achieve these requirements and to open up new architecture designs for the SOFC is the development of single-chamber solid oxide fuel cells (SC-SOFCs). SC-SOFCs avoid many of the manufacturing challenges associated with conventional SOFCs, and have shown optimal performance between 500°C and 800°C. This reduces the need for high temperature sealing and a complicated manifold structure; however it also reduces the partial pressure of the gases at the electrodes, which reduces the theoretical obtainable voltage.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Crumlin, Ethan J

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Yang Shao-Horn.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39870

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39870