Anode‐supported SOFC Operated Under Single‐chamber Conditions at Intermediate Temperatures

Anode‐supported SOFC was fabricated using gadolinia doped ceria (GDC) as the electrolyte (15 μm of thickness), Ni‐GDC as the anode and La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 – δ ‐GDC as the cathode. Catalytic activities of the electrodes and electrical properties of the cell were determined, using mixtures of methane + air, under single‐chamber conditions. This work assessed with special and wide emphasis the effect of temperature, gas composition and total flow rate on the cell performance. As a result, operational temperature range of the fuel cell was approximately between 700 and 800 °C, which agrees with the results corresponding to the catalytic activities of electrodes. While Ni‐GDC anode was enough active towards methane partial oxidation at cell temperatures higher than 700 °C, the LSC‐GDC cathode was enough inactive towards partial and total oxidation of methane at cell temperatures lower than 800 °C. Under optimised gas compositions (CH 4 /O 2 ratio (1) and total flow rate ((530 mL min –1 ), power densities of 145 and 235 mW cm –2 were obtained at 705 and 764 °C, respectively.