The SECA Industry Teams design and manufacture the fuel cells and handle most hardware issues as they plan to commercialize SOFC systems for their market-entry products.  The teams are independent and therefore compete with each other; however, all are committed to cost reduction and mass customization as keys to commercial viability.

The Industry Teams provide necessary input, via the Federal Government management, to shape the Core Technology Program. As the Industry Teams develop and refine their SOFC designs, R&D gaps are identified and given to the Core Technology Program participants to research.  This allows the Industry Teams to continue their SOFC development process, while the Core Technology Program participants develop and breakthrough technologies.

To achieve the demanding DOE cost targets, Industry Teams are refining and validating advanced SOFC technology that can be mass-produced and aggregated to meet a broad range of applications.  This work is blending established manufacturing processes with state-of-the-art fuel cell technology advancements in order to leverage the advantages of economies of production (high-volume mass production) and scale to reduce fuel cell costs.  Realizing the cost targets will require penetrating a full spectrum of large markets, such as auxiliary power units (APUs) for trucks and recreational vehicles, a wide range of distributed generation (including specialized applications for the military) and ultimately coal- and natural gas-fueled central generation.  Common stack technology for these considerable markets will create the opportunity for the high-volume production required to reduce manufactured cost to commercially-viable levels.

SOFC Manufacturing (courtesy Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems)

Regardless of application, the SECA Industry Teams seek to reduce the high-volume manufactured cost entitlement of SOFC stack and system technology via improved hardware design and performance (e.g., power density) and reduced material and processing costs.  Capital cost reduction directly contributes to lower cost of electricity to the customer. A focus is the optimization of the performance and cost of SOFC stack technology in the context of commercial power generation systems. Operation at a reduced cell overpotential while maintaining an economically-viable power density improves overall plant efficiency without increasing fuel cell capital costs, and in IGFC systems reduces the size of the less-efficient Rankine bottoming cycle.  Reduction of steady-state degradation from the FY10 benchmark of 1.25 – 1.5%/1000 hours to 0.2 – 0.5%/1000 hours, in addition to other developments improving the robustness and life of the fuel cell stack, improves system life and reduces required stack module replacement O&M costs.   

With the SECA emphasis on central generation and coal, the SECA industry Teams also seek to further leverage successes in cost reduction through scaling SOFC cells and stacks to sizes appropriate for central power generation applications.  These scaled stacks will then be incorporated into 250kW to 1MW fuel cell modules, with validation of SECA SOFC technology advances in long-duration proof-of-concept module tests, preferably on a coal syngas fuel.  This work tightly integrates stack performance characteristics and requirements with supporting balance-of-plant components, systems, controls and operating strategies.  An atmospheric pressure proof-of-concept fuel cell module is scheduled to begin operation in FY2013.  These modules shall form the basis for full-scale IGFC systems.  An atmospheric proof-of-concept system at the 5MW scale, incorporating numerous fuel cell modules and heat recovery, is nominally scheduled for 2017.  This work also focuses on the optimization of full-scale IGFC concept configurations for performance and cost. 

An important element of SECA since its inception has been validation testing of the technology at regular intervals.  This testing has been conducted in accordance with the DOE-specified Minimum Requirements.

Industry Team Projects and Participants

FuelCell Energy (Danbury, CT):  FuelCell Energy (FCE), in partnership with its SOFC technology development partner Versa Power Systems is developing advanced anode-supported planar SOFC technology for IGFC systems as well as a variety of early-market entry applications.  FCE is also partnered with WorleyParsons for IGFC system design and analysis and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for SOFC modeling.

FuelCell Energy Presentation [PDF-5.5MB]

Versa Power Systems SOFC Stack Block

UTC Power (South Windsor, CT): UTC Power is partnered with SOFC technology developer Delphi Automotive Systems to develop high-performance anode-supported planar SOFC technology for IGFC applications.  Delphi in turn receives R&D support from the Battelle Memorial Institute.  500kW to MW-class distributed generation systems operating on natural gas are envisioned as market entry products. In addition, Delphi is independently pursuing a diesel-fueled auxiliary power unit (APU) using SECA SOFC technology for heavy-duty commercial trucks. 

UTC Power Presentation [PDF-5.4MB]

Delphi Anode-Supported Planar Cell

Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (North Canton, OH): Rolls-Royce is developing an integrated planar (segmented-in-series) SOFC technology intended for pressurized operation, with a 1 MWe natural gas system for market entry.  Rolls-Royce receives technical support from Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems, LTD (UK), Case Western Reserve University, the University of Connecticut, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and PNNL.

Rolls-Royce Presentation [PDF-2.4MB]

Rolls-Royce integrated planar SOFC bundle assembly.