Interconnector for a stack of solid oxide cells of the SOEC/SOFC type including different elements in relief

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12170389-B2
Application number	US-202218696584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2022
Priority date	Sep 29, 2021
Publication date	Dec 17, 2024
Grant date	Dec 17, 2024

Abstract

An interconnector for a stack of solid oxide cells of the SOEC/SOFC type, intended to be arranged between two adjacent electrochemical cells, which includes a flat face whereon at least one first group of identical first elements in relief and a second group of identical second elements in relief are formed, the first elements in relief having different geometric features with respect to the second elements in relief, the height of each first element in relief being different from the height of each second element in relief, the contact width of each first element in relief being different from the contact width of each second element in relief.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An interconnector for a stack of solid oxide cells of the SOEC/SOFC type operating at high temperature, intended to be arranged between two adjacent electrochemical cells of the stack, each electrochemical cell being formed of a cathode, of an anode and of an electrolyte intercalated between the cathode and the anode, the interconnector including:
a flat face whereon at least one first group of identical first elements in relief with respect to the flat face and a second group of identical second elements in relief with respect to the flat face are formed,
the first elements in relief having different geometric features with respect to the second elements in relief,
the height of each first element in relief, measured as being the largest vertical dimension of the first element in relief with respect to the flat face, being different from the height of each second element in relief, measured as being the largest vertical dimension of the second element in relief,
the contact width of each first element in relief, measured as being the largest horizontal dimension with respect to the flat face of the outer contact end of each first element in relief, opposite the inner end in contact with the flat face and intended to be in contact with an electrochemical cell, being different from the contact width of each second element in relief, measured as being the largest horizontal dimension of the with respect to the flat face of the outer contact end of each second element in relief, opposite the inner end in contact with the flat face and intended to be in contact with an electrochemical cell; and
a metal alloy substrate having two main flat faces, one of the main flat faces comprising a first coating layer forming a first contact layer with an electrochemical cell, the other of the main flat faces comprising a second coating layer forming a second contact layer with an electrochemical cell,
the first coating layer and/or the second coating layer comprising a flat face and elements in relief formed thereon.

2. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the contact width of each first element in relief is between 0.5 and 5 mm, preferably equal to 1 mm.

3. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the contact width of each second element in relief is between 0.005 mm and 0.5 mm, preferably equal to 100 μm.

4. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the height of each first element in relief is between 200 μm and 1,000 μm, preferably equal to 350 μm.

5. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the height of each second element in relief is between 250 μm and 1,050 μm, preferably equal to 400 μm.

6. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the difference between the height of each second element in relief and the height of each first element in relief is between 5 μm and 500 μm, particularly in the order of 50 μm.

7. The interconnector according to claim 1 , further including a number N, N being a whole number greater than or equal to 2, preferably between 2 and 50, also preferably equal to 5, groups of elements in relief, formed on the flat face, the elements in relief of the same group all being identical, and the elements in relief of different groups having different geometric features, namely different heights and different contact widths.

8. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the elements in relief are in the form of teeth or grooves, disposed parallel with one another, the spaces between the elements in relief forming gas circulation channels.

9. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the elements in relief are in the form of pads, particularly of cylindrical shape, the spaces between the elements in relief forming a single serpentine gas circulation channel.

10. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the elements in relief are evenly distributed over the flat face, being particularly spaced the same distance from one another, particularly between 50 μm and 5 mm, preferably equal to 750 μm, according to at least one horizontal direction (DH) on the flat face.

11. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein at least one area of the flat face, particularly a central area, is devoid of elements in relief.

12. The interconnector according claim 1 , wherein the elements in relief having the largest width are located around the periphery of the flat face, at a distance from the other elements in relief and from the gas circulation channel(s) formed by the spaces between the other elements in relief.

13. The interconnector according to claim 1 , wherein the metal alloy substrate is of the chromia-forming type the base element of which is iron (Fe) or nickel (Ni), and in that the elements in relief formed on said flat face are formed by machining.

14. The interconnector according claim 1 , wherein the first coating layer is a thick ceramic coating layer, porous or not, the ceramic material being particularly selected from a lanthanum manganite of formula La 1-x Sr x MO 3 with M (transition metals)=nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), chrome (Cr), alone or a mixture thereof, or materials of lamellar structure such as the lanthanide nickelates of formula Ln 2 NiO 4 (Ln=lanthanum (La), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr)), or another electrically conductive perovskite oxide.

15. The interconnector according claim 1 , wherein the second coating layer is a thick metal coating layer, the metal material being particularly selected from nickel (Ni) and its alloys or chromia-forming alloys the base element of which is iron (Fe).

16. A stack of solid oxide cells of the SOEC/SOFC type operating at high temperature, including a plurality of electrochemical cells each formed of a cathode, of an anode and of an electrolyte intercalated between the cathode and the anode, and a plurality of interconnectors according to claim 1 , each arranged between two adjacent electrochemical cells.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique
• Commissariat A Lenergie Atomique Et Aux Energies

Inventors

• Di Iorio Stéphane
• Oresic Bruno
• Vulliez Karl

Classifications

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/0263

  having meandering or serpentine paths · CPC title

• H01M8/0208

  Alloys · CPC title

• H01M8/2432

  Grouping of unit cells of planar configuration · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title