Cell and current collector felt arrangement for solid oxide electrochemical cell combinations

A high-temperature solid electrolyte electrochemical cell combination, comprising an axially elongated, inner, annular electrode having at least one interior gas feed conduit therein;

• solid electrolyte having a discontinuity therein disposed around and contacting the inner electrode;
• an outer electrode disposed around and contacting the electrolyte;
• and an electronically conducting, non-porous interconnection material disposed on the inner electrode within the discontinuity in the electrolyte;
• the improvement characterized in that the inner electrode is continuous, the non-porous, interconnection material is disposed circumferentially about the cell, transversely to the axial length of the cell, and both the interconnection material and the outer electrode have porous, metal fiber current collector felts disposed thereon, where the porous metal fiber felts are disposed circumferentially about the cell, transversely to the axial length of the cell combination.

An array of electrochemical cell combinations comprising one central, axially elongated cell and a plurality of adjacent, parallel, axially elongated cells, said cells having an inner, annular electrode having an interior gas feed conduit therein;

• solid oxide electrolyte segments disposed around and contacting axial portions of the inner electrode with discontinuities between the electrolyte segments;
• and outer electrode segments disposed around and contacting the electrolyte segments, with the inner electrode being continuous for the entire axial length of the cells, where each cell has an electronically conducting, non-porous, interconnection material contacting the inner electrode between segments of electrolyte, where the non-porous interconnection material is disposed circumferentially about the cell, transversely to the axial length of the cell, and both the non-porous interconnection material and the outer electrode have electronically conducting, porous metal fiber current collector felts disposed thereon, where the porous metal fiber felts are disposed circumferentially about the cell, transversely to the axial length of the cell, and where the central cell is positioned so that its fuel electrodes are electronically connected through metal fiber felts to the interconnection material of the cell above it and electronically insulated from the interconnection material of the cell below it, and where the central cell has its interconnection material electronically insulated from the outer electrode of the cell about it and electronically connected through metal fiber felts to the outer electrode of the cell below it.