DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF SOFC-MEA TECHNOLOGY AT INER

摘要

The Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) initiated the development of the solid oxide fuel cell membrane-electrode-assembly (SOFC-MEA) technology in 2003. Now, substantial progresses have been achieved on the related techniques. Fabrication processes for planar anode/electrolyte-supported-cell (ASC/ESC) by conventional methods and metallic-supported-cell (MSC) by atmospheric plasma spraying are well established. At this stage, the maximum power densities of INER's ASCs are 652 mW/cm~2 at 800°C for intermediate-temperature SOFC (IT-SOFC) and 608 mW/cm~2 at 650°C for low-temperature SOFC (LT-SOFC). The power densities of INER's MSCs are 540 and 473 mW/cm~2 at 0.7 V and 700°C for a cell and a stack tests, respectively. Durability tests for ASC/MSC at constant current densities of 300/400 mA/cm~2 indicate that the degradation rates are less than 1%/khr. Comparable or higher performance is now achieved with respect to the commercial cells. Innovative materials, structures, and the fabrication process for SOFC-MEA are improved to upgrade the MEA qualities and enhance the cost reduction. The diverse SOFC-MEAs are developed for specific issues to simultaneously solve the problems of energy and CO_2 greenhouse effect. A 1-kW SOFC power system is designated and a pilot-scale production line of SOFC-MEA is constructed and operated at INER. Efforts are continuously input to solve the fatal problems, select the best type of SOFC-MEA, and assure the right choice for commercialization of the SOFC industry.