Treatment method for solid oxide fuel cells and apparatus thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016036069-A1
Application number	US-201514883763-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	Feb 4, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A treatment method for solid oxide fuel cells includes: measuring a radius of curvature of a cell; measuring a surface resistance of cathode current collecting layer of a cell; performing an alcohol permeating test of a cell; performing simultaneously several stages of compression and heating or cooling to a cell; an apparatus for completing above stages is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for treating solid oxide fuel cells, comprising the steps of:
measuring a radius of curvature of a cell; measuring a surface resistance of a cathode current collecting layer of the cell; performing an alcohol permeating test upon the cell; and performing a compression process and a heating process to the cell; wherein, the compression process is composed of a plurality of compression stages; and the heating process is composed of a plurality of heating/cooling stages.

2 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein the cell is a device selected from the group consisting of: a metal supported planar solid oxide fuel cell and a cermet (ceramic-metal) supported planar solid oxide fuel cell.

3 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of compression parameters being set in each of the plural compression stages, and the plural parameters includes: an initial load or an initial pressure, a final load or a final pressure and an load duration.

4 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of heating parameters being set in each of the plural heating/cooling stages, and the plural heating parameters includes: an initial temperature, a heating or cooling rate, a final temperature, a constant heating duration.

5 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring of the radius of curvature of the cell further comprises the steps of:
obtaining a height deformation value of the cell's center with respect to one corner of the cell; and converting the height deformation value into the radius of curvature by calculation.

6 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring of the surface resistance is performed by applying a multi-meter to the cathode current collecting layer of the cell for surface resistance measurement, while allowing the two probes of the multi-meter to be spaced from each other by 2 mm.

7 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the alcohol permeating test upon the cell further comprises the steps of:
spraying liquid alcohol over the porous metal substrate used for supporting a tested cell and then reversing the tested cell; examining the surface of the cathode current collecting layer to find whether there is any trace of wetness; and determining whether there is no alcohol permeating through the electrolyte of the tested cell or the amount of alcohol permeating through the electrolyte is negligible.

8 . The treatment method of claim 1 , wherein the plural compression stages of the compression process is performed simultaneously with the plural heating/cooling stages of the heating process.

9 . The treatment method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
measuring once again the radius of curvature of the cell; measuring once again the surface resistance of the cathode current collecting layer of the cell; and performing the alcohol permeating test upon the cell once again.

10 . The treatment method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of:
after the temperature of the treated cell is dropped to room temperature, performing the following steps: measuring once again the radius of curvature of the cell; measuring once again the surface resistance of the cathode current collecting layer of the cell; and performing the alcohol permeating test upon the cell once again.

Assignees

• Iner Aec Executive Yuan

Inventors

• Hwang Chang-Sing
• Chang Chun-Liang
• Tsai Chun-Huang
• Nian Sheng-Huei
• Chuang Chih-Ming
• Cheng Shih-Wei

Classifications

• H01M8/1246 Primary

  the electrolyte consisting of oxides · CPC title

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04313

  characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function · CPC title

• H01M8/04 Primary

  Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title