Research and development on tubular type solid oxide fuel cell

The results of research and development carried out by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI), on the tubular-type solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are discussed. The SOFC is a fuel cell made of ceramics which can operate at temperatures of 900 to 1000°C. The SOFC has features listed which are all beneficial as a power generation system. In the tubular-type cell configuration, the fuel electrode, the electrolyte and the air electrode are formed on a porous support tube in axial symmetry, and multiple cells are series-connected, using interconnectors. MHI designed and fabricated a 1 kW SOFC module in March 1990. The module has recorded a power output of 1332 W and a fuel utilization of 56%. MHI has carried out a feasibility study of a practical SOFC system. The study results are presented