Oxidation-Induced Degradation of SOFC Ni Anodes at High Fuel Utilizations

Abstract

In the downstream of SOFC systems, higher oxygen partial pressure can cause oxidation-induced Ni anode degradation. In this study, we have investigated cell performance at high fuel utilizations for simulating situations around the system downstream. When the anode voltage was higher than a voltage threshold, the cell performance was stable. On the other hand, it became unstable associated with cell voltage oscillation when anode voltage was around or less than the threshold value. The threshold value was consistent with the anode potential derived from the oxygen partial pressure at the phase boundary at which both Ni and NiO coexist.