Build and Performance Test of a 3-cell Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack

A 3-cell stacked anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was designed and fabricated to achieve a complete gas seal and the facile stacking of components. The stack was assembled with a unit cell with $10{\times}10cm^2$ area, and each cell was interconnected by a stainless steel 430 separator using a proprietary sealant sheet. The stack performance was examined at various gas flow rates of $H_2+3.5vol%\;H_2O$, and air at a fixed temperature of $800^{\circ}C$. No gas leakage was found from the sealing between cells and inter-connects within a measurement system in this research during a prolonged time of 500 h in operation. The test resulted in an open circuit voltage of 3.12 V, a peak power of 149 W, and a power density of $0.61W/cm^2$, while the long term durability of the power showed 19.1% degradation during the prolonged time of 500 h when tested at $800^{\circ}C$.