Rapid heating SOFC system for hybrid applications

There are several possible applications for rapid heating SOFCs. One is vehicles which operate with dual fuel systems. For example, propane is widely used to provide cab heating for trucks whose main engines run on diesel fuel. Rapid heating SOFCs could be used with the propane/butane for auxiliary heat and power generation while diesel fuel drives the engine. Alternatively, rapid heating SOFCs could be used for domestic heat and power using natural gas as fuel. The background to the development of rapid heating zirconia SOFCs is described, especially the colloid process for producing high quality extruded electrolyte tubes. Then the study of individual cell tubes is outlined, with novel integrated fuel processing and total oxidation catalyst, together with the stacking of 1000 cells in a small reactor. The emphasis is on fuel processing and prevention of carbon deposition. It was demonstrated that 1% lithium doping of the nickel/zirconia anode reduced carbon deposition by 75%. Comparable electrochemical performance was obtained on hydrogen fuel and on hydrocarbon injected with air.