Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Lifetime and Reliability: Critical Challenges in Fuel Cells

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Lifetime and Reliability: Critical Challenges in Fuel Cells presents in one volume the most recent research that aims at solving key issues for the deployment of SOFC at a commercial scale and for a wider range of applications. To achieve that, authors from different regions and backgrounds address topics such as electrolytes, contaminants, redox cycling, gas-tight seals, and electrode microstructure. Lifetime issues for particular elements of the fuel cells, like cathodes, interconnects, and fuel processors, are covered as well as new materials. They also examine the balance of SOFC plants, correlations between structure and electrochemical performance, methods for analysis of performance and degradation assessment, and computational and statistical approaches to quantify degradation.

For its holistic approach, this book can be used both as an introduction to these issues and a reference resource for all involved in research and application of solid oxide fuel cells, especially those developing understanding in industrial applications of the lifetime issues. This includes researchers in academia and industrial R&D, graduate students and professionals in energy engineering, electrochemistry, and materials sciences for energy applications. It might also be of particular interest to analysts who are looking into integrating SOFCs into energy systems.

• Brings together in a single volume leading research and expert thinking around the broad topic of SOFC lifetime and durability
• Explores issues that affect solid oxide fuel cells elements, materials, and systems with a holistic approach
• Provides a practical reference for overcoming some of the common failure mechanisms of SOFCs
• Features coverage of integrating SOFCs into energy systems

Nigel Brandon is a Professor of Sustainable Development in Energy at the Department of Earth Science & Engineering of Imperial College London, United Kingdom. Professor Brandon's research is focused on electrochemical power sources for fuel cell and energy storage applications. He collaborates extensively with industry in this field, as well with other research centres and universities around the world, and he is Director of the RC Energy programme funded Hydrogen and Fuel Cells SUPERGEN Hub. He was the founding Director of the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College, and a founder of Ceres Power, an AIM listed fuel cell company spun out from Imperial College. In 2014 he was appointed to the BG Chair in Sustainable Gas and as Director of the Sustainable Gas Institute at Imperial College.