Pomiary termowizyjne stałotlenkowego ogniwa paliwowego

Abstract

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are promising devices for the production of electricity and heat in combined systems (CHP – cogeneration heat and power), both mobile and stationary. These cells require high operating temperatures (> 600°C) so that the thermally activated diffusion of oxygen ions and the transport of electric charge take place. One of the most serious problems with the use of fuel cells is the selection of materials that retain their chemical, structural, electrical and thermo-mechanical properties for a long time under conditions of high temperature and pressure. In order to meet these requirements, fuel combustion processes should be investigated and analyzed under various operating conditions of the cell. A comprehensive understanding of these processes is possible using electrochemical research methods such as impedance spectroscopy, voltammetry, and temperature measurement using a thermocouple. However, these methods are not able to identify local processes in situ at the cell. Mid-infrared thermography is a method that allows observation of the surface of electrodes and its temperature characteristics providing much more detailed information about the processes running on the working cell. In the presented article, the high-resolution thermal imaging camera was used to analyze the surface of the SOFC anode – a commercial cermet composed of $ZrO_2 – Y_2O_3 – Ni (YSZ-Ni)$ by observing temperature changes at the surface of anode.