Solid oxide fuel cell innovations on display at Hannover Fair

Convion Ltd, Fraunhofer IKTS and Plansee SE will be presenting their latest developments in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology and products at this year’s Hannover Fair, Germany, April 13-17, 2015. Between them the companies will display a range of interconnects through to ready-to-install stacks and complete SOFC systems.

Convion C50 SOFC system

In February 2015 Convion Ltd, based in Finland, began operation of a new, highly innovative co-generation system using MK351 stacks produced by Fraunhofer IKTS. “The Convion C50 SOFC system can be operated with natural gas or biogas. It has nominal power output of 58 kW with 53% electrical efficiency and over 85% total energy efficiency,” stated Erkko Fontell, CEO of Convion.

Depending on the fuel gas the company states that there are low or no CO2 emissions. The C50 is suited for either outdoor or indoor installations and does not require water connection. Operation parallel to the grid or in an island mode secures critical loads in case of power outages.

As modular units, C50 power modules can be installed in a parallel configuration facilitating installations with higher power output. The manufacturing of the product has been successfully finalised and the validation with 20 kW net power has been started. Convion currently seeks to commercialise the new product and to bring it to the market with interested partners and to showcase the future of distributed power generation.

MK351 stacks from Fraunhofer IKTS

The MK351 stack design was jointly developed by Fraunhofer IKTS and Plansee. It consists of only a few component parts and allows for a simple and automated assembly. All stack components withstand high temperatures, system and temperature cycles. A perfect matching of components to each other allows the desired high power density of the cell and the required cycle stability.

Currently, the performance degradation of a stack integrated in a hot box is < 0.7 %/1000 h. “This value was confirmed by several experiments including long-term test with over 18,000 hours of operation,” stated Dr Mihails Kusnezoff, Head of Department Materials and Components atFraunhofer IKTS.

Fraunhofer IKTS and Plansee offer a license of latest background technology and IP for the MK351 stack design, so that interested companies will be able to start commercial production of such stacks.

CFY interconnects from Plansee

CFY is a chromium-base alloy containing 5 % iron by weight as well as traces of yttrium. The physical properties of the CFY alloy make it ideal for use in high-temperature fuel cells. The coefficient of thermal expansion is adapted to match that of the high-performance electrolyte based on fully-stabilised zirconium oxide, for example 10ScSZ or 8YSZ.

“Plansee CFY interconnects are based on a scalable, cost-effective powder-metallurgical net-shape production, which significantly reduces production costs through a high degree of automation and high material yields,” stated Prof Dr Lorenz Sigl, Head of Innovation Services at Plansee.

Beside MK351 interconnects, Plansee produces several CFY interconnect designs for customers worldwide in pilot and industrial lines.

Hannover Fair Hall 27:

Convion Ltd.:Booth: C54

Fraunhofer IKTS: Booth C55

Plansee  SE: Booth: C71

www.convion.fi  

www.ikts.fraunhofer.de

www.plansee.com