Low-Cost Modular SOFC System Development at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Abstract

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing technologies for low-cost modular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems to accelerate the development of such systems for stationary, mobile and military applications. This work is being pursued with funding from several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs, including the Solid State Energy Conversion (SECA) Core Technology Program, the Advanced Research and Technology Development (AR&TD) Program, and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Delphi Automotive Systems. Experimental and modeling studies are being conducted on a number of important challenges, including low-cost materials and fabrication processes, seal and interconnect stability, cell and stack designs, rapid system startup, thermal cyclability, and long lifetime. This paper summarizes the progress made in these investigations.