Cycling studies of solid oxide fuel cells

The purpose of this work was to study the transient performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) under several cycling conditions, in order to understand the degradation mechanisms. Initially, the Rolls Royce Fuel Cell IP-SOFC (Integrated Planar SOFC) single tube was investigated. The objective was to cycle up to 100 times to check if degradation was occurring and to assess its extent. In this paper the results of loading cycles at nominally constant operating temperature are reported. Work on two other kinds of cycles, i.e. thermal and redox, for this type of tube has commenced and the results will be reported in the follow-up paper.