Composite Glass Seal for Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell Stack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solid oxide cell (SOC) stacks face challenges with glass seals that corrode under high steam vapor pressure and elevated temperatures, leading to electrode passivation and reduced performance due to the migration of volatile species, which limits their durability and operational life.
Innovation Solution
A composite glass seal incorporating a metal oxide or metal oxide precursor component between the glass and gas passage ways, acting as a barrier to prevent volatile phase migration and enhance chemical compatibility, thereby extending the stack's lifetime and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a glass seal is used for sealing SOC stacks, then the seal provides good sealing performance and chemical compatibility, but the glass seal corrodes under high steam vapor pressure and elevated temperatures, leading to electrode passivation and reduced performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite seal consisting of glass material combined with metal oxide layers (such as nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, or perovskite-type metal oxides). This composite structure combines the excellent sealing properties of glass with the corrosion resistance and volatile species blocking capabilities of metal oxides, resolving the contradiction between sealing performance and corrosion resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal oxide layer acts as an intermediary barrier between the glass seal and the electrode/gas passage way. It prevents direct contact between the glass and corrosive environments while also blocking volatile species migration, thus protecting the glass seal from corrosion and preventing electrode passivation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If network modifiers and network formers are added to tailor glass properties, then thermal expansion coefficient and chemical stability are improved, but volatile species formation and migration still occur under high steam vapor pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The metal oxide layer serves as an intermediary barrier that blocks volatile species migration while allowing the glass composition to be optimized for thermal expansion matching. The metal oxide prevents volatile species from reaching the electrode, decoupling the glass composition optimization from the volatile species blocking function.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining glass with metal oxide materials, the patent creates a composite seal where each component performs its optimal function: glass provides thermal expansion matching and sealing, while metal oxide provides volatile species blocking, thus resolving the contradiction between composition stability and volatile species migration prevention.
3Reliability
If a metal oxide barrier layer is added to prevent volatile species migration, then electrode passivation is prevented, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function and volatile species blocking function into a single composite seal structure. The glass and metal oxide are combined in one integrated component that performs both functions simultaneously, reducing the number of separate layers and simplifying the overall structure compared to adding a separate barrier layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite seal combines multiple materials with different functions into a single integrated component, achieving both sealing and volatile species blocking without requiring separate layers, thus maintaining structural simplicity while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composite seal effectively prevents electrode passivation, extends the operational life of the SOC stack, and allows for more flexible selection of glass materials, improving both durability and cost efficiency without compromising performance.
Implementation Method 1
a component comprising a metal oxide or metal oxide precursor, wherein the component comprising the metal oxide or metal oxide precursor is located at least in between the glass component and a gas passage way
Implementation Method 2
Gas tight sealings are virtually important for the performance, durability and safely operation of a fuel cell as well as an electrolyser stack
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention provides a solid oxide cell stack, comprising: - at least two cells which each comprise a first electrode layer (1), an electrolyte layer (2), a second electrode layer (3), - gas passage ways, and - sealing components (4), wherein the sealing components (4) comprise a glass component (4a) and a component comprising a metal oxide or metal oxide precursor (4b), and wherein the component comprising the metal oxide or metal oxide precursor (4b) is located at least in between the glass component (4a) and a gas passage way. The present invention further provides a method of producing the above solid oxide cell stack, comprising the steps of: - providing at least two SOC cells comprising each a first electrode layer or electrode precursor layer (1), an electrolyte layer (2), a second electrode layer or electrode precursor layer (3); - stacking at least two cells so as to form a cell stack including gas passage ways; and - sealing said cell stack with sealing components (4), wherein the sealing components (4) comprise a glass component (4a) and a component comprising a metal oxide or metal oxide precursor (4b), and wherein the component comprising the metal oxide or metal oxide precursor (4b) is at least located in between the glass component (4a) and a gas passage way.