Temperature Measurement and Distribution Inside Planar SOFC Stacks

In this work, a kind of thin K‐type thermocouple and self‐developed CAS‐I sealant were used to assembly solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks and temperatures of unit cells inside a planar SOFC stack were measured. The open circuit voltage testing of the stack and characterization of the interface between sealant and components suggested excellent sealing effect by applying the developed method. The effect of discharging direct‐current on temperature and temperature distribution inside the designed SOFC stack was investigated. The results showed that the discharging current had a great impact and the gas flow rate had a slight impact on the temperatures of unit cells. Temperature distribution of unit cells inside the stack was much non‐uniform and there is a significant temperature difference between various components of the stack and heating environment. The relationship between temperatures and cell performance showed that the worse the cell performance, the higher the cell surface temperature. When the stack was discharged at a constant current and the temperature of cell surface was over 950 °C, the higher the temperature, the more drop the corresponding voltage.