KR101540514B1 - Voltage measuring apparatus for Solid oxide fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to a solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring apparatus which provides at least one air electrode on the upper side of an electrolyte, And an air electrode are brought into contact with each other to quickly measure the voltage of the contacted air electrode, thereby further shortening the evaluation time of the fuel cell cell.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell,

The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to a solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring apparatus which provides at least one air electrode on the upper side of an electrolyte, And an air electrode are brought into contact with each other to quickly measure the voltage of the contacted air electrode, thereby further shortening the evaluation time of the fuel cell cell.

Generally, a fuel cell is a battery that is called a first-generation battery, a second-generation battery, a rechargeable battery, and a third-generation battery. The fuel cell directly converts chemical energy generated by oxidation of fuel into electrical energy.

A feature of such a fuel cell is that it can produce electricity semi-permanently during the continuous supply of reactants from the outside and the reaction products are continuously removed from the system, and energy efficiency is very high because there is no loss in mechanical conversion . The fuel cell uses various fuels such as fossil fuel, liquid fuel, and gaseous fuel, and is divided into a low temperature type and a high temperature type according to the operating temperature.

Specifically, the fuel cell is classified into a phosphoric acid type fuel cell, a molten carbonate fuel cell, a solid oxide fuel cell, a phosphoric acid type fuel cell, a polymer electrolyte type or an alkaline fuel cell depending on the type of the electrolyte used. Each of these fuel cells operates basically on the same principle, but the type of fuel used, the operating temperature, the catalyst, and the electrolyte are different.

Among them, the solid oxide fuel cell uses a solid oxide having an ionic conductivity as an electrolyte. The solid oxide fuel cell operates at the highest temperature (600 to 1000 ° C.) of the existing fuel cells. Since all the components are solid, The structure is simple compared with the fuel cell, there is no problem of electrolyte loss and replenishment and corrosion, and there is an advantage that the noble metal catalyst is not needed and the fuel supply through direct internal reforming is easy.

Meanwhile, in order to measure the performance of a cell of such a solid oxide fuel cell, a method of measuring one button cell or one large area cell is generally performed. However, such a measurement method has a problem that it takes a long time to evaluate the various air poles because the fuel cell must be manufactured by the number of the air electrode.

On the other hand, according to a conventional patent for a solid oxide fuel cell measuring apparatus, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013-0029245 relates to a measuring device for measuring a voltage along a linear array of voltage sources, And the voltage of the fuel cell stack is measured through a contact probe movable upward or downward, so that a plurality of fuel cells can be measured at one time.

However, since the above-described conventional solid oxide fuel cell measuring apparatuses produce one or more fuel cells in the form of finished products and then stack them, it is impossible to measure the voltage before the completion of the fuel cell, If defective products are found in the fuel cell stack, it is necessary to destroy the fuel cell or to produce new ones.

In order to solve the problems of the above-mentioned solid oxide fuel cell measuring apparatus and the conventional problems, the inventor of the present invention has found that various characteristics (for example, particle size, composition, etc.) The present invention has been accomplished to provide a fuel cell voltage measuring apparatus capable of evaluating various air electrodes in a single cell, thereby remarkably shortening the evaluation time of the fuel cell according to the type of the air electrode.

U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2013-0029245

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to solve the problems described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for measuring a voltage of an air electrode by contacting one or more air electrodes printed on an electrolyte layer with a voltage measuring line through a movable metal jig or air supply pipe And to measure the solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage quickly.

Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solid oxide fuel cell capable of measuring a solid oxide fuel cell, which is capable of measuring a single electrode type in a conventional cell, And to provide an oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring apparatus.

Among the embodiments, the solid oxide fuel cell voltage measuring apparatus includes a metal jig configured to receive therein an anode, an electrolyte, and at least one cathode; An air supply pipe located at an upper side of the metal jig and injecting air to the at least one air electrode; And a voltage measuring line inserted in the air supply pipe and projecting downward.

The voltage measuring line may measure a voltage of the contacted air electrode by emitting a current from one side and receiving a re-emitted current from the other side.

And a controller for controlling the position of the metal jig and / or the air supply pipe.

The control unit may move the position of any one of the metal jig and the air supply pipe to any one of X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

In the metal jig, the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, and the at least one air electrode may be sequentially positioned.

The metal jig may be formed with a gas flow path to supply hydrogen gas to the fuel electrode.

The gas flow path may protrude outward from both side surfaces of the metal jig.

And a fuel electrode voltage measurement line for measuring a voltage of the fuel electrode by making contact with both end portions of the gas flow path.

The one or more air electrodes may be printed above the electrolyte.

An interconnector corresponding to the shape of the air electrode may be provided on the air electrode.

The interconnect may be formed of a platinum (Pt) or silver (Ag) current collector.

The air supply pipe may include alumina.

The voltage measurement line may include platinum (Pt).

A metal member formed corresponding to a rim of the metal jig and having a center portion opened; And a sealing member provided between the metal jig and the metal member to seal the metal jig.

According to the present invention, one or more air electrodes provided on the upper side of the electrolyte layer share one fuel electrode and an electrolyte, so that it is not necessary to produce as many fuel electrodes and electrolytes as the number of the air electrodes, The time for evaluating the cell can be shortened.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to maintain constant oxidation and reduction reaction conditions by regulating the amount of hydrogen supplied to the fuel electrode and the amount of oxygen supplied to the at least one air electrode, thereby improving the reliability of the electrode evaluation of the solid oxide fuel cell .

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an apparatus 100 for measuring a solid oxide fuel cell voltage according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a state in which the metal jig 110, the air supply pipe 120 and the voltage measurement line 130 shown in FIG. 1 are controlled by the controller 160. More specifically, FIG. 2 2B is a view illustrating a state in which at least one air electrode 30 and a voltage measuring line 130 are in contact with each other, and FIG. 2B is a view showing a state in which at least one air electrode 30 and a voltage measuring line 130 are in contact with each other. Fig.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, a repeated description, a known function that may obscure the gist of the present invention, and a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings and the like can be exaggerated for clarity. Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an apparatus 100 for measuring a solid oxide fuel cell voltage according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1, the solid oxide fuel cell voltage measuring apparatus 100 includes a metal jig 110, an air supply pipe 120, a voltage measuring line 130, a sealing member 140, a metal member 150 And a control unit 160. [0033]

The metal jig 110 may serve to house the anode 10, the electrolyte 20, and one or more cathode 30 therein.

Here, the anode 10 may correspond to a porous material through which hydrogen electrons can be diffused, and may include nickel (Ni) or yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ).

Also, the electrolyte 20 may have a large property of oxygen ion conductivity, and the material may include yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ).

The air electrode 30 may correspond to a porous material which can easily diffuse oxygen, and may be a composite electrode of (La) MnO 3 and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ).

Note that it is preferable that the above-described fuel electrode 10, the electrolyte 20 and the at least one air electrode 30 are sequentially disposed in the metal jig 110.

More specifically, one or more air electrodes 30 may be printed on the electrolyte 20 in the same shape and size. Here, the printing can be interpreted as meaning that printing is performed because a step is hardly generated when the air electrode 30 having a very thin interdigital shape is attached to the upper side of the electrolyte 20.

Meanwhile, since the known process is used for the sharing process and the electricity generation of the hydrogen electrons using the fuel electrode 10, the electrolyte 20, and the at least one air electrode 30, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

An interconnector 40 corresponding to the shape of the air electrode 30 may be provided on the upper side of the at least one air electrode 30 and may be attached to the upper side of the air electrode 30. The material of the interconnector 40 may include a metal-type current collector having excellent electron conductivity such as platinum (Pt) or silver (Ag).

The metal jig 110 may further include a gas flow path 111 to supply hydrogen gas to the fuel electrode 10.

The gas passage 111 may protrude outward from both sides of the metal jig 110 to supply the hydrogen gas at a constant flow rate to the fuel electrode 10 at all times.

The gas flow channel 111 may be configured to control the supply amount of the supplied hydrogen gas under the control of the control unit 160, which will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

In one embodiment, the solid oxide fuel cell voltage measurement device 100 may further include a fuel electrode voltage measurement line (not shown) capable of measuring the voltage of the gas flow path 111 described above.

The fuel electrode voltage measurement line is brought into contact with both end portions of the gas flow path 111 through the control of the controller 160, so that the voltage of the fuel electrode 10 can be measured. The voltage data of the fuel electrode 10 measured in this way can be transmitted to the controller 160.

It should be noted that the metal jig 110 may be made of stainless steel or a material that is not deformed or altered even under a high-temperature oxidation-reduction reaction condition.

The air supply pipe 120 is a diffuser located at the upper side of the metal jig 110 and serves to inject air into the at least one air electrode 30. At this time, the air supply pipe 120 may include alumina having a high melting point by oxidizing aluminum.

The air supply pipe 120 performing such a role can be controlled by the control unit 160, which will be described later, in more detail with reference to FIG. 2, which will be described later.

The voltage measurement line 130 may be inserted into the air supply pipe 120 and protrude downward to measure the voltage of the contacted air electrode 30 in contact with the at least one air electrode 30 can do.

The voltage measurement line 130 may be formed of a single wire or a pair of wires may be formed in the shape of a probe such that a current is supplied from one side of the contact measuring line 130 in contact with the air electrode 30 The voltage of the air electrode 30 can be measured by applying a current re-emitted from the air electrode 30 to the other side of the voltage measurement line 130.

The voltage measurement line 130 that performs this role may include platinum Pt and the current that is emitted through the control of the control unit 160, which will be described later, may be controlled, which will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. Let's look at it.

The sealing member 140 is provided between the metal members 150 and may seal the hydrogen gas supplied to the metal jig 110 from the outside so that the metal jig 110 Or may be applied along the upper edge of the metal jig 110,

Accordingly, it is noted that the material of the sealing member 140 may include rubber or an adhesive material.

The metal member 150 covers the upper side of the metal jig 110 and can apply pressure to the fuel electrode 10 and the electrolyte 20. The metal member 150 is formed to correspond to the upper edge of the metal jig 110 The center portion may have an open form.

The metal member 150 performing such a role may be formed in the form of a rectangular metal ring and the metal jig 110 may be sealed more easily by applying a weight pressure to the sealing member 140 .

The control unit 160 controls the position of the metal jig 110 or the air supply pipe 120 and the supply amount of the hydrogen gas supplied through the gas flow path 111 and the voltage measurement line 130 and the anode voltage measurement line (Not shown).

More specifically, the control unit 160 can move the position of the metal jig 110 or the air supply pipe 120 to any one of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, May be located on the upper side of the at least one air electrode 30 and the lower side of the at least one air electrode 30 and the voltage measuring line 130 may be in contact with or separated from each other.

Since the control unit 160 uses a known technique (for example, a technique for driving the motor) to move the position of the metal jig 110 or the air supply pipe 120, It will be omitted.

2 is a view showing a state in which the metal jig 110, the air supply pipe 120 and the voltage measurement line 130 shown in FIG. 1 are controlled by the controller 160. More specifically, FIG. 2 2B is a view illustrating a state in which at least one air electrode 30 and a voltage measuring line 130 are in contact with each other, and FIG. 2B is a view showing a state in which at least one air electrode 30 and a voltage measuring line 130 are in contact with each other. Fig.

Referring to FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the position of the metal jig 110 and the air supply pipe 120 is shifted to any one of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis And is connected to the voltage measurement line 130 to control the current discharged from the voltage measurement line 130 and is connected to the gas flow path 111 to supply the hydrogen gas supplied from the gas flow path 111 Can be controlled.

Although not shown in the drawings, the controller 160 may be in contact with the gas flow path 111 to measure the voltage of the fuel electrode 10.

As described above, the apparatus for measuring the solid oxide fuel cell voltage of a solid oxide fuel cell 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can measure the voltage of at least one air electrode 30 sharing the fuel electrode 10 and the electrolyte 20, The metal jig 110 or the air supply pipe 120, which can freely move in the Z-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, can be quickly measured in a short period of time. By controlling the supply amount of hydrogen gas and oxygen, constant oxidation and reduction reaction conditions can be always maintained . As a result, the evaluation time of the fuel cell having various air poles can be shortened, and the reliability of the electrode evaluation can be improved.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

10: fuel electrode 20: electrolyte
30: air pole 40: interconnect connector
100: Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device
110: metal jig 111: gas flow path
120: air supply pipe
130: Voltage measurement line
140: sealing member
150: metal member
160:

Claims (14)

A metal jig configured to receive therein an anode, an electrolyte, and at least one cathode;
An air supply pipe located at an upper side of the metal jig and injecting air to the at least one air electrode; And
And a voltage measurement line inserted in the air supply pipe and protruding downward,
Wherein the voltage measurement line is configured to measure a voltage of a contacted air electrode by contacting the at least one air electrode.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
The voltage measurement line may include:
And the voltage of the contacted air electrode is measured by receiving current from one side and current being re-emitted from the other electrode from the other side.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And a control unit for controlling a position of at least one of the metal jig and the air supply pipe.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein,
And the position of any one or more of the metal jig and the air supply pipe is moved in at least one of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
In the metal jig,
Characterized in that the anode, the electrolyte and the at least one cathode are sequentially positioned,
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
The metal jig
And a gas passage is formed to supply hydrogen gas to the fuel electrode.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 6,
The gas passage
Wherein the metal jig is formed to protrude outward from both side surfaces of the metal jig.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
8. The method of claim 7,
And a fuel electrode voltage measurement line for measuring a voltage of the fuel electrode by making contact with both end portions of the gas flow path.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the at least one air electrode comprises:
Characterized in that the electrolyte is printed on the upper side of the electrolyte.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
On the upper side of the air electrode,
And an interconnector corresponding to the shape of the air electrode is provided.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the inter-
Characterized in that it is formed of a current collector made of platinum (Pt) or silver (Ag)
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
Characterized in that the air supply pipe comprises alumina.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
The voltage measurement line may include:
Characterized in that it comprises platinum (Pt).
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.
The method according to claim 1,
A metal member formed corresponding to a rim of the metal jig and having a center portion opened; And
And a sealing member provided between the metal jig and the metal member to seal the metal jig.
Solid oxide fuel cell cell voltage measuring device.

Images