Method for Measuring Chromium Evaporation from SOFC Balance-of-Plant Components

Cr poisoning is a well-identified performance degradation process in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). While stainless steel (SS) interconnects have been identified to be a significant source of Cr, the Cr contribution from balance-of-plant (BoP) components located upstream of the cathode still needs to be ascertained. A method to measure Cr concentration level from BoP components was developed in this work. The volatile Cr species were collected by air sampling through a quartz tube coated with sodium carbonate. SEM observations enabled to correlate changes in the oxide layer microstructure of BoP alloys to their Cr evaporation rate.