Development of planar SOFC stacks for chip

The SOFC technology under development at IKTS is based on an integrated approach ranging from the manufacturing of planar electrolyte supported cells and compact stacks to the integration in total systems. The cells are thin, mechanically stable and show an excellent redox stability under operation conditions. The prototype production of cells in cooperation with Kerafol is being up-scaled continuously. The main issues in the stack development are polarization losses, durability and cost. Up to 60-cell stacks in the power range 300-1000 W were tested successfully. The tests with hydrogen/steam and methane/hydrogen/steam as fuel showed no difference in the power output at a fuel utilization more than 45%. The compact stacks have been tested for thousand hours without degradation. The SOFC development at IKTS focuses on the reliable technology for cell and stack prototype production.