Fuel production by a cathode-supported honeycomb solid oxide electrolysis cell

In recent years, the establishment of Power to Gas technology is in progress. Promising methods include steam electrolysis and co-electrolysis using the Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC). We have developed a honeycomb electrolytic cell with a larger reactive area per unit volume than the conventional flat and tubular types. Thereby volumetric density of fuel production rate can be greatly improved, leading to a development of compact and high performance steam electrolysis systems. In this study, we address hydrogen production by steam electrolysis with an SOEC having a porous honeycomb support consisting of Ni-YSZ cathode. Current-voltage curves were measured with sampling the cathode outlet gas for gas chromatography. As the results, we confirmed that hydrogen concentration in the outlet increased as the current increased. The experimental results are useful to validate numerical models to design practical honeycomb cells.