Mitigation of Chromium Assisted Degradation of LSM Cathode in SOFC

Abstract

Chromium evaporation, from chromia forming ferritic alloys used in the interconnect (IC) and the low cost iron and nickel base alloys, is considered as one of the leading causes for the long term irreversible performance degradation of cathode in SOFC power generation systems. Although, surface coatings and alloy modifications have proved beneficial in providing short term solution for the mitigation of chromium poisoning, the surface coatings and alloy chemistries remain susceptible to structural degradation in long term. A novel approach for mitigating cathode degradation by capturing gas phase chromium vapor from the air stream has been developed. Results from chromium capture tests conducted under simulated SOFC systems operating conditions will be presented.