SOC STACK COMPRISING INTEGRATED INTERCONNECT AND SPACER

Abstract

A Solid Oxide Cell stack has an integrated interconnect and spacer, which is formed by bending a surplus part of the plate interconnect 180° to form a spacer part on top of the interconnect and connected to the interconnect at least by the bend.

Claims

1. Solid Oxide Cell stack comprising a plurality of stacked cell units, each cell unit comprises a cell layer and an interconnect layer, one interconnect layer separates one cell layer from the adjacent cell layer in the cell stack, wherein the interconnect layer comprises an integrated interconnect and spacer made from one piece of plate with the thickness, T, the spacer is formed by at least a part of the edges of the interconnect which is bent 180° a number, N, of times to provide a spacer covering at least a part of the edges of the interconnect, so said spacer and interconnect together form an edge of at least a part of the integrated interconnect and spacer with a thickness equal to or less than (1+N) times the thickness of the plate T.

2. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the at least part of the edges of the interconnect is bent 180° one time to provide a spacer covering at least a part of the edges of the interconnect, so said spacer and interconnect together form an edge of at least a part of the integrated interconnect and spacer with a thickness equal to or less than 2 times the thickness of the plate T.

3. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer further forms at least one flow distributor for manifolding.

4. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer further forms at least one flow distributor adapted for external manifolding.

5. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer further forms at least one flow distributor adapted for internal manifolding.

6. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer is at least partly formed by pins.

7. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer is at least partly formed by pins formed as wedges which are flow guides for a process fluid flow.

8. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer is at least partly formed by a contiguous fluid tight edge.

9. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer is at least partly formed by a contiguous fluid tight edge adapted to form a fluid tight seal towards an external manifold.

10. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer of the integrated interconnect and spacer is at least partly formed by a contiguous fluid tight edge adapted to form a fluid tight seal around an internal manifold.

11. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is connected to the interconnect not only by the bent part, but also on at least one further edge or surface of the spacer facing the interconnect.

12. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is connected to the interconnect by diffusion bonding on at least a part of the surface of the spacer facing the interconnect.

13. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is connected to the interconnect by welding on at least a part of the surface of the spacer facing the interconnect.

14. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the interconnect has grooves on at least one side adapted to facilitate and guide said 180° bend.

15. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the interconnect has grooves on at least one side adapted to form flow fields for process fluid.

16. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the interconnect has grooves formed by etching on at least one side to form flow fields for process fluid.

17. Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the Solid Oxide Cell stack is a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell stack.

18. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of stacked cell units, each cell unit comprises a cell layer and an interconnect layer, one interconnect layer separates one cell layer from the adjacent cell layer in the cell stack, wherein the interconnect layer comprises an integrated interconnect and spacer made from one piece of plate, comprising the steps of, providing one piece of plate with the thickness T and a larger area than the area of the interconnect layer bending at least a part of the edge of said plate 180° a number, N, of times to form said spacer, so said spacer and interconnect together forms an edge of at least a part of the integrated interconnect and spacer with a thickness equal to or less than (1+N) times the thickness of the plate T.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the at least part of the edge of said plate is bend one time, so said spacer and interconnect together forms an edge of at least a part of the integrated interconnect and spacer with a thickness equal to or less than two times the thickness T of the plate.

20. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 18, further comprising the step of performing a calibration press to a predefined stop with a force higher than the plastic deformation force on the integrated interconnect and spacer to ensure an even thickness of the edge of the integrated interconnect and spacer.

21. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 18, further comprising the step of performing a calibration press to a predefined stop with a force higher than the plastic deformation force on the integrated interconnect and spacer to ensure an even thickness of the edge of the integrated interconnect and spacer which is less than (1+N) times the thickness T.

22. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 18, further comprising the foregoing step of providing grooves on at least one side of said plate adapted to facilitate and guide said 180° bend.

23. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 22, wherein said grooves are formed by etching.

24. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 18, further comprising the step of etching at least one side of the integrated interconnect and spacer, before or after the bending, to form flow fields for process fluid.

25. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 18, further comprising the step of diffusion bonding the spacer to the interconnect on at least a part of the surface of the spacer facing the interconnect.

26. Method for manufacturing a Solid Oxide Cell stack according to claim 18, further comprising the step of welding the spacer to the interconnect on at least a part of the surface of the spacer facing the interconnect.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] The invention is further illustrated by the accompanying drawings showing examples of embodiments of the invention.

[0074] FIG. 1 shows an isometric top view of an integrated interconnect and spacer before folding.

[0075] FIG. 2 shows an isometric top view of the integrated interconnect and spacer of FIG. 1 but with the spacer (surplus) part of the interconnect now folded on top of the interconnect.

[0076] FIG. 3 shows an isometric bottom view of the integrated interconnect and spacer of FIG. 2.

[0077] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged isometric top view of the centre part of the integrated interconnect and spacer of FIG. 2.

POSITION NUMBERS

[0078] 1. Integrated interconnect and spacer [0079] 2. Spacer [0080] 3. Flow distributor adapted for external manifolding [0081] 4. Flow distributor adapted for internal manifolding [0082] 5. Pins [0083] 6. Contiguous fluid tight edge

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] FIG. 1 shows an integrated interconnect and spacer 01 for a Solid Oxide Cell stack (not shown). FIG. 1 shows the interconnect as one flat piece of sheet metal with surplus material adapted to form the spacers 02, but before the folding, hence the spacers have not yet been formed. The shape of the integrated interconnect and spacer with six edges is only chosen as an example. As can be seen, a part of the spacer is in the form of pins 05, which will be explained in more detail in the following.

[0085] On FIG. 2, the surplus material of the interconnect shown in FIG. 1 has now been folded 180° onto the top side of the interconnect to form spacers around three edges of the interconnect as well as around two through-holes cut in the interconnect. Along the three edges as well as around the centre through-hole of the interconnect, the spacers are formed as pins to allow for process gas to flow in-between the spacer pins. Hence, along the three edges, the pin formed spacers form flow distributors adapted for external manifolding 03; whereas around the centre through-hole of the interconnect the pin formed spacers forms a flow distributor adapted for internal manifolding 04. It is to be understood that the spacers adapted for manifolding may be formed in different shapes to control and direct the product gas flow to, along and from the interconnect. One spacer in FIG. 2 is formed with a contiguous fluid tight edge 06, which when folded forms an edge around the through-hole in the periphery of the interconnect, which thereby serves as a product gas channel internally in the stack. FIG. 3 shows the same folded integrated interconnect and spacer as seen in FIG. 2, only seen from the opposite (bottom) side of the interconnect.

[0086] The folded pins acting as a flow distributor adapted for internal manifolding around the central through-hole of the interconnect is seen in more detail in FIG. 4. It is to be understood, that in one embodiment (not shown) the guiding of the bent pins and the tolerances may be enhanced by grooves in the bending section of the pins on one, the other or both sides of the sheet. Also, it is to be understood that the bent spacers may have any other shapes and forms than pins, such as whole edges or wedges.