ADVANCED DESIGN AND TECHNIQUE FOR LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCEPLANAR SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL

THE SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL WHICH HAS BEEN UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY ZTEK IS CONSTRUCTED OF THIN PLATES OF ZIRCONIA ELECTROLYTE ALTERNATELY ARRANGED WITH ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTOR PLATES. THE ELECTROLYTE PLATES ARE MADE OF THIN ZIRCONIA PLATE WITH ELECTRODE COATINGS. THE INTERCONNECTOR PLATES ARE FABRICATED FROM CORROSION-RESISTANT CONDUCTING MATERIALS. ZTEK'S PLANAR SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL USES AN INTERNAL MANIFOLDING DESIGN THAT INSURES SIMPLE STACK ASSEMBLY WITH A MINIMUM NUMBER OF COMPONENTS. FULLY ENGINEERED MODULE DESIGN ALLOWS UP TO A 20KW INTEGRATION. MW SIZE PACKAGING WITH EXCELLENT THERMAL AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. IN A TWO-YEAR RIGOROUS TEST PROGRAM WITH EPRI, ZTKE'S PLANAR STACK HAS DEMONSTRATED ITS RELIABILITY IN OPERATION, CAPABILITY OF HIGH EFFICIENCY OPERATION AND SCALABILITY TO HIGH POWER PACKAGES. THIS PROPOSAL PURSUES AN ADVANCED FABRICATION TECHNIQUE AND CONFIGURATION. THIS EFFORT HAS THE POTENTIAL OF HIGH ECONOMIC PAY-OFF THROUGH PROCESS SIMPLIFICATION, AND CELL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT. THE PROJECT WILL BE COST SHARED BY EPRI AND ZTEK.