Reduction of SOFC anodes to extend stack lifetime
AssigneeIon America Corporation
InventorsDarren Hickey, Chockkalingam Karuppaiah, James McElroy
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Abstract
One embodiment of the invention provides a method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell, including providing a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode electrode containing nickel, and electrochemically reducing an anode side of the fuel cell. Another embodiment of the invention provides a method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell, including providing a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode electrode containing nickel, periodically operating the fuel cell to generate electricity, and reducing an anode side of the fuel cell between electricity generation operation periods of the fuel cell.
Claims27
A method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell, comprising:
- providing a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode electrode comprising nickel;
- and
- electrochemically reducing an anode side of the fuel cell.
A method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell, comprising:
- providing a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode electrode comprising nickel;
- periodically operating the fuel cell to generate electricity;
- and
- reducing an anode side of the fuel cell between electricity generation operation periods of the fuel cell.
A method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell, comprising:
- providing a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode electrode comprising nickel oxide;
- and
- electrochemically reducing the nickel oxide in the anode electrode to nickel prior to electricity generation operation of the fuel cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.