A method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell system may comprise contacting a cathode gas comprising oxygen with a heating element to produce a heated cathode gas, passing the heated cathode gas through a cathode of a solid oxide fuel cell stack to increase the temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell stack to an operation temperature and reduce the oxygen to oxygen anions, and passing an anode gas through an anode of the solid oxide fuel cell stack to initiate the electrochemical oxidation of the oxygen anions within the anode. The passing of the anode gas through the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell stack may be initiated when the solid oxide fuel cell stack is heated to an operational temperature.

A contacting arrangement of solid oxide cells is disclosed, each solid oxide cell having at least two flow field plates to arrange gas flows in the cell, and an active electrode structure, which has an anode side, a cathode side, and an electrolyte element between the anode side and the cathode side. The contacting arrangement includes a gasket structure to perform sealing functions in the solid oxide cell and a contact structure located between the flow field plates and the active electrode structure, the contact structure being at least partly a gas permeable structure configured and adapted according to structures of the flow field plates and according to the active electrode structure.

A fuel cell system that raises temperature of fuel cells by supplying heated air to the fuel cells during starting up period. The fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cells, a fuel supply path connected parallelly to the fuel cells to provide fuel thereto, an air supply path connected serially to the fuel cells to provide air thereto, a heat exchanger arranged in the fuel supply path to heat air or fuel, an air heat exchanger arranged in the air supply path to heat air; and a connection path connecting a position of the air supply path upstream to the air heat exchanger with a position of the fuel supply path upstream to the heat exchanger. A first control valve is arranged in the air supply path for controlling the air flowing into to the air heat exchanger. A second control valve arranged in the connection path for controlling the air flowing into the heat exchanger. The fuel cell system controls opening degrees of the first and second control valves during the start-up period of the fuel cell system to supply heated air to the fuel cells through both the air supply path and the fuel supply path.

A glass ceramic seal is formed from a precursor material that includes from 80 mol % to 100 mol % of a primary component containing, on an oxide basis, from 25 mol % to 55 mol % SiO.sub.2, from 20 mol % to 45 mol % CaO, from 5 mol % to 30 mol % MgO, and from 0 mol % to 15 mol % Al.sub.2O.sub.3.

A centrifugal blower includes a motor located in a motor housing, an impeller, and a volute. The volute directly contacts the motor housing such that the volute is configured to actively cool the motor during operation.

A steam generator for a fuel cell system having a heat exchanger (34) with at least one internal heat exchange surface, a water inflow pipe (46), a dripper head (52) with a flow passageway fluidly connected to the water inflow pipe (46). The dripper head (52) extends inside the heat exchanger (52) above the heat exchange surface for feeding water down onto the heat exchange surface for conversion into steam. The dripper head (52) has outlet holes (56) spaced along the flow passageway and between adjacent outlet (holes 56) the dripper head has a stepped profile on at least its underside to prevent droplets from adjacent holes coalescing. A fuel inflow pipe can have a section mounted coaxially to a part of the water inflow pipe (46). The fuel inflow pipe's section can surround the water inflow pipe's part. In a fuel cell system with a steam generator, the steam generator can include the fuel inflow pipe and a combined steam and fuel outlet and a reformer directly or indirectly connected downstream of the steam generator.

The present invention provides a process for incorporating at least one nano-catalyst on the surface of and within a plurality of pores of an electrode. The process includes spraying or dripping a catechol based surfactant onto the surface of and within one or more pores of a solid oxide electrochemical cell having an anode electrode and a cathode electrode; spraying or dripping a nano-catalyst solution onto the surface of and within one or more pores of the solid oxide electrochemical cell that has been pretreated with the catechol based surfactant for forming a modified solid oxide electrochemical cell; and firing the modified solid oxide electrochemical cell above a calcination temperature of the nano-catalyst solution for forming a nano-catalyst on the surface and within at least one or more pores of the solid oxide electrochemical cell.

A porous body comprises a framework having a three-dimensional network structure, the framework having a body including nickel and cobalt as constituent elements, the body of the framework including the cobalt at a proportion in mass of 0.2 or more and 0.8 or less relative to a total mass of the nickel and the cobalt, the framework having a surface with an arithmetic mean roughness of 0.05 μm or more, the porous body being increased in volume by 1% or more for a shape of an external appearance thereof after the porous body undergoes a heat treatment in the atmosphere at 800° C. for 200 hours with a load of 16 kPa applied.

This electrode comprises: an electrode component containing a columnar structure; and a porous collector layer that is prepared on the electrode component. The columnar structure comprises a multiple columnar sections, the lateral surfaces of which are at least partially in contact with each other. Each columnar part section is provided with a multilayer part wherein different inorganic compound layers are stacked. In addition, the columnar structure comprises two or more adjacent columnar sections, which are different from each other in the stacking direction of the multilayer part. For example, each columnar section has a width of 10 nm to 100 nm, and each inorganic compound layer has a thickness of 1 nm to 10 nm.

A cell stack in which a plurality of cells may have a cylindrical shape and may include gas flow passages may be arranged uprightly and may be electrically connected may include: a manifold configured to fix lower ends of the plurality of cells and supply gas to the gas flow passages of the plurality of cells, and a gas supply pipe configured to supply the gas to the manifold. The gas supply pipe may include one end connected to a gas supply portion and another end inserted into a first through hole provided in the manifold, and may be joined to the manifold via a first joining portion. The gas supply pipe may include a first protruding portion protruding toward an inner side of the gas supply pipe and located at a position corresponding to the first joining portion in any cross-section along an insertion direction of the gas supply pipe.