SOEC/SOFC Stack Inner Guiding Layout to Prevent Rotational Jamming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) and fuel cell (SOFC) stack designs face challenges in maintaining accurate guidance during the manufacturing phase, particularly when increasing the stack height, leading to issues like rotational jamming and significant sagging due to the use of small-diameter guide columns.
Innovation Solution
A stack design with aligned guide orifices and guide elements that have varying clearances, including internal and external clearances, to ensure precise vertical stacking and prevent jamming during the glass-ceramic sealing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If small-diameter guide columns are used in current SOEC/SOFC stack designs, then the stack height can be increased, but rotational jamming and significant sagging occur during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system is segmented into multiple guide orifices distributed across different plates rather than relying on a single guide column. This segmentation distributes the guidance function across multiple locations, preventing rotational jamming while maintaining vertical alignment throughout the stack height
Solution Approach 2:
Guide orifices act as intermediary elements between the guide columns and the plates. These orifices provide a controlled interface that allows vertical movement while preventing lateral displacement and rotation, thereby maintaining guidance accuracy without requiring small-diameter columns
2Manufacturing precision
If small-diameter guide columns are used, then vertical alignment may be maintained, but jamming occurs during glass-ceramic sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The guide orifices are pre-formed in the plates before the glass-ceramic sealing process. This preliminary action ensures that the guidance geometry is established in advance, allowing smooth passage during sealing without the risk of jamming that occurs with small-diameter columns
3Measurement precision
If guide columns with tight clearances are used, then positioning precision is improved, but the risk of rotational jamming increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide orifices have different dimensional characteristics at different locations: a smaller first dimension (providing tight clearance for precision) and a larger second dimension (preventing rotational jamming). This local quality variation allows the same structure to provide both positioning precision and resistance to jamming
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~4D
Figure 5A~6B
AI summary
The main subject matter of the invention is a stack of SOEC/SOFC solid oxide cells, said stack consisting of a plurality of stacked plates (P) and comprising two guiding elements (11, 12) ensuring that the vertical stacking of at least some of the plates (P) is guided, each plate (P) having two guiding orifices (01, 02), characterized in that, in a cross-sectional view, the guiding orifices are aligned in a first horizontal direction (X) and are spaced apart by a smaller inter-orifice distance (Do1), the guiding elements (11, 12) being spaced apart by a greater smaller inter-element distance (Dt1), the difference corresponding to the identical inner clearance (Jm1) for the two guiding orifices, and in that the guiding orifices (01, 02) are spaced apart by a larger inter-orifice distance (Do2), the guiding elements (11, 12) being spaced apart by a shorter larger inter-element distance (Dt2), the difference corresponding to the outer clearance (Jm2), which is greater than the inner clearance (Jm1).