Transient Performance of Micro-Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The transient performance of microtubular solid oxide fuel cells was investigated, with promising results. It was found that a single cell can take less than half a second to adjust to load changes, even when the change steps across the majority of the cell’s range. In addition, no undershooting of the voltage step was seen in these tests. When steps of equal size were ranged across the current-voltage spectrum, more distortion was seen at the higher voltages. Cells with cathodes applied by dip-coating (instead of brush-painting) were then dynamically tested in a similar way. Their transient performance was significantly weaker, with visible undershooting and longer re-adjustment times of 10–15 s. This is thought to be due to the difference in the microstructure of the cathode layers made by the different coating methods.