A Reversible Planar Solid Oxide Fuel-Fed Electrolysis Cell and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Hydrogen and Electricity Production Operating on Natural Gas/Biomass Fuels

Technical Report · Sat Mar 31 04:00:00 EDT 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/934689· OSTI ID:934689

A solid oxide fuel-assisted electrolysis technique was developed to co-generate hydrogen and electricity directly from a fuel at a reduced cost of electricity. Solid oxide fuel-assisted electrolysis cells (SOFECs), which were comprised of 8YSZ electrolytes sandwiched between thick anode supports and thin cathodes, were constructed and experimentally evaluated at various operation conditions on lab-level button cells with 2 cm2 per-cell active areas as well as on bench-scale stacks with 30 cm2 and 100 cm2 per-cell active areas. To reduce the concentration overpotentials, pore former systems were developed and engineered to optimize the microstructure and morphology of the Ni+8YSZ-based anodes. Chemically stable cathode materials, which possess good electronic and ionic conductivity and exhibit good electrocatalytic properties in both oxidizing and reducing gas atmospheres, were developed and materials properties were investigated. In order to increase the specific hydrogen production rate and thereby reduce the system volume and capital cost for commercial applications, a hybrid system that integrates the technologies of the SOFEC and the solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC), was developed and successfully demonstrated at a 1kW scale, co-generating hydrogen and electricity directly from chemical fuels.

• Research Organization: Materials and Systems Research, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC36-04GO14350
• OSTI ID: 934689
• Report Number(s): DOE/GO/14350
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
ANODES
CAPITALIZED COST
CATHODES
ELECTRICITY
ELECTROLYSIS
ELECTROLYTES
HYBRID SYSTEMS
HYDROGEN
INTERSTITIAL HYDROGEN GENERATION
IONIC CONDUCTIVITY
MICROSTRUCTURE
MORPHOLOGY
OXIDES
PRODUCTION
SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS
solid oxide fuel-assisted electrolysis cell
solid oxide fuel cell
hydrogen production
hybrid
cogeneration