SOFC Single Cell Test Rig

The fuel cell test rig (FuelCon Evaluator C1000-HT) is meant for investigations on solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Its core is a housing for one cell made of aluminium oxide (for 100 x 100 mm² cells), which is supplied with air from above and with fuel gas from below. At the fuel gas side, temperature is measured on 9 spots of the housing. The housing is surrounded by an oven which enables maximum temperatures of 1050 °C. The mechanical load is made by a pneumatic system with a maximum force of 3 kN. There are 7 connections for gases at the fuel side. For humidification the gases can be led through a bubbler. Additionally, in an add-on to the test rig, six different tars (aromatic hydrocarbons) can be dosed to the fuel gas to simulate biogenic contamination, as it is investigated in the SynSOFC-Project.

The test rig can operate fully automatic. It is possible to create scripts which define the run of the experiment. An electric load controls the performance of the sample. Moreover, the cell can be characterized electrochemically by an impedance analyzer (TrueData EIS).

Technical data

Type FuelCon Evaluator C1000-HT
Temperature up to 1050 °C
Gases H2O, H2, CO, CO2, CH4, N2, (H2S)
Max current 100 A
Max. voltage 35 V
Contact force 300 kN (pneumatic)
Pressure atmosphere
Housing Al2O3 for 100 x 100 mm² cells
Analytics Solid phase adsorption (SPA) method for tar-concentation
  Impedance-analyzer (EIS) for electrochemical characterization (Impedance: 5 muOhm – 15 Ohm, max DC current: 100 A, max. DC voltage: 35 V, frequency: 200 muHz – 50 kHz)
  Mass-Spectrometer (MS) for anode off gas analysis
Tars Naphthalene, Phenol, Toluol, Biphenyl, Fluorene, Flouranthene

Contact Person: Benjamin Steinrücken