Solid oxide fuel cell array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018219242-A1
Application number	US-201815883945-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 30, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2017
Publication date	Aug 2, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A solid oxide fuel cell array has pairs of a first connection member and a second connection member. Each pair electrically connects two adjacent first and second fuel cells to electrically connect the plurality of fuel cells in series. The second fuel cell has the first connection member connected to the outer side electrode layer of the second fuel cell at a distance D 1 measured from the upper terminal end of the outer side electrode layer of the second fuel cell and has the second connection member connected to the outside side electrode layer of the second fuel cell at a distance D 2 measured from the lower terminal end of the outer side electrode of the second fuel cell. The distance D 2 is longer than the distance D 1.

First claim

1 - 9 . (canceled)

10 . A solid oxide fuel cell array comprising:
(a) a plurality of tubular fuel cells, each fuel cell extending in a longitudinal direction and having a supply end at one longitudinal end and a discharge end at the other longitudinal end, wherein the fuel gas flows inside the fuel cell from the supply end of the fuel cell toward the discharge end of the fuel cell, each fuel cell comprising:
an inner side electrode layer extending in the longitudinal direction along the fuel cell, wherein the fuel gas flows through inside of the inner side electrode layer;
an outer side electrode formed over the inner side electrode layer, wherein an oxidant gas flows along the outer side electrode layer, the outer side electrode layer extending in the longitudinal direction along the fuel cell and having a supply side terminal end on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell and a discharge side terminal end on a side of the discharge end of the fuel cell; and
a solid electrolyte layer formed between the inner side electrode layer and the outer side electrode layer; and
(b) a first connection member and a second connection member configured to electrically connect two adjacent first and second fuel cells to electrically connect the plurality of fuel cells in series, wherein
the first fuel cell has the first connection member connected to the inner side electrode layer of the first fuel cell near the discharge end of the first fuel cell and has the second connection member connected to the inner side electrode layer of the second fuel cell near the supply end of the second fuel cell,
the second fuel cell has the first connection member connected to the outer side electrode layer of the second fuel cell at a discharge side distance measured from the discharge side terminal end of the outer side electrode layer of the second fuel cell and has the second connection member connected to the outside side electrode layer of the second fuel cell at a supply side distance measured from the supply side terminal end of the outer side electrode of the second fuel cell, and
the supply side distance is longer than the discharge side distance.

11 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the second fuel cell has the second connection member connected to the outer side electrode layer of the second fuel cell either in a center portion of the second fuel cell in the longitudinal direction or at a position shifted from the center portion of the second fuel cell toward the supply end of the second fuel cell.

12 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second connector members each comprise a pair of connecting portions configured to electrically connect, respectively, to the inner side electrode layer of the first fuel cell and the outer side electrode layer of the second fuel cell, the first and second connector members each further comprising a bridge portion configured to electrically connect the pair of connecting portions, wherein the bridge portion of the second connector member is longer than the bridge portion of the first connector member.

13 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the inner side electrode layer of the fuel cell has a greater resistance on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell than on a side of the discharge end of the fuel cell.

14 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 13 , wherein the inner side electrode layer of the fuel cell has a resistance on the side of the supply end of the fuel cell of at least 1.0-fold and less than 5-fold the resistance on the side of the discharge end of the fuel cell.

15 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the outer side electrode layer of the fuel cell has a greater resistance on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell than on a side of the discharge end of the fuel cell.

16 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 15 , wherein the outer side electrode layer of the fuel cell has a resistance on the side of the supply end of the fuel cell of at least 1.5-fold and less than 20-fold the resistance on the side of the discharge end of the fuel cell.

17 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the solid electrolyte layer of the fuel cell has a greater resistance on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell than on a side of the discharge side of the fuel cell.

18 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 17 , wherein the solid electrolyte layer of the fuel cell has a resistance on the side of the supply end of the fuel cell of at least 1 fold and less than 2-fold the resistance on the side of the discharge end of the fuel cell.

19 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the outer side electrode layer of the fuel cell comprises a supply side area extending in the outer side electrode layer on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell and a discharge side area extending in the outer side electrode layer on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell, the outer side electrode layer of the fuel cell has a film thickness (d 3 ) in the supply side area and a film thickness (d 4 ) in the discharge side area, wherein the film thickness (d 3 ) and the film thickness (d 4 ) satisfy inequality of d 4 >d 3 .

20 . The solid oxide fuel cell array according to claim 10 , wherein the solid electrolyte layer of the fuel cell comprises a supply side area extending in the solid electrolyte layer on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell and a discharge side area extending in the solid electrolyte layer on a side of the supply end of the fuel cell, the solid electrolyte layer of the fuel cell has a film thickness (d 1 ) in the supply side area and a film thickness (d 2 ) in the discharge side area, wherein the film thickness (d 1 ) and the film thickness (d 2 ) satisfy inequality of d 1 >d 2 .

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Naoki
• Hoshiko Takuya
• Kubota Masaru
• Omura Hajime

Classifications

• H01M8/1233

  with one of the reactants being liquid, solid or liquid-charged · CPC title

• H01M4/8621

  containing only metallic or ceramic material, e.g. made by sintering or sputtering · CPC title

• H01M8/243 Primary

  Grouping of unit cells of tubular or cylindrical configuration · CPC title

• H01M8/1246

  the electrolyte consisting of oxides · CPC title

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title