Geometric effects on tubular solid oxide fuel cells

Micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell systems have many desirable characteristics compared with their planar counterparts; however, there are many obstacles and difficulties that must be met to achieve a successful and economically viable manufacturing process and stack design. One of the most important parameters is the cell size and geometries. Anode-supported tubes provide an excellent platform for individual cells. A thin electrolyte layer applied to the outside of the tube helps to minimize polarization losses thus avoiding the difficulty of coating the inside of electrolyte or cathode-supported tubes. The stack design with anode supported tubes also avoids using a fuel chamber on the outside of the tube. Various geometries of the cell support, in terms of diameter, length, cross-section shape and arrangement were investigated. Results of geometric effects on micro-tubular SOFCs will be discussed and presented in this paper.