New sealing concept for planar solid oxide fuel cells

A key element in developing high-performance planar solid oxide fuel-cell stacks is the hermetic seal between the metal and ceramic components. Two methods of sealing are commonly used: (a) rigid joining and (b) compressive sealing. Each method has its own set of advantages and design constraints. An alternative approach is currently under development that appears to combine some of the advantages of the other two techniques, including hermeticity, mechanical integrity, and minimization of interfacial stresses in the joint substrate materials, particularly the ceramic cell. The new sealing concept relies on a plastically deformable metal seal; one that offers a quasi-dynamic mechanical response in that it is adherent to both sealing surfaces, i.e., non-sliding, but readily yields or deforms under thermally generated stresses. In this way, it mitigates the development of stresses in the adjacent ceramic and metal components even when a significant difference in thermal expansion exists between the two materials. The pre-experimental design of the seal, initial proof-of-principle results on small test specimens, and finite-element analyses aimed at scaling the seal to prototypical sizes and geometries are described herein.