Critical Causes of Degradation in Integrated Laboratory Scale Cells During High-Temperature Electrolysis

摘要

An ongoing project at Idaho National Laboratory involves generating hydrogen from steam using solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC). This report describes background information about SOECs, the Integrated Laboratory Scale (ILS) testing of solid-oxide electrolysis stacks, ILS performance degradation, and post-test examination of SOECs by various researchers. The ILS test was a 720- cell, three-module test comprised of 12 stacks of 60 cells each. A peak H2 production rate of 5.7 Nm3/hr was achieved. Module area-specific resistance ranged from 1.25 cm2 to just over 2 cm2. Total H2 production rate decreased from 5.7 Nm3/hr to a steady state value of 0.7 Nm3/hr. The decrease was primarily due to cell degradation.