Synopsis

Within the project „ProTec“ the Chair of Physical Chemistry of Montanuniversitaet Leoben, the Centre for Electron Microscopy Graz and the Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research Stuttgart are investigating the synthesis and fundamental characterisation of proton- and electron conducting composites for future energy technologies.

Duration: 01.09.2019 - 31.08.2023

Persons involved

Project leader: Assoc.Prof. DI Dr. Edith Bucher

Project staff: Christina Nader, Andreas Egger, Werner Sitte

Partners

- Centre for Electron Microscopy Graz

- Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart

Abstract

The project ProTec aims at the synthesis of proton conducting composites and investigations of their fundamental material properties. New energy materials based on mixed proton-, oxygen ion- and electron-conducting ceramics (triple conducting oxides, TCOs) offer promising possibilities for future application in protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) and electrolyser cells (PCECs) or membranes for hydrogen separation. However, these technologies are still far from reaching commercialization status, which is mainly due to a research deficit in the fields of fundamental mass and charge transport properties as well as defect chemistry.

Within ProTec, TCO-composites will be synthesised and characterised. The common research efforts of the consortium are aimed at a deeper understanding of mass and charge transport properties, defect chemistry, and mechanisms of proton incorporation and oxygen reduction in self-organized ceramic composites. Based on this knowledge, structure-property relations are derived, which should allow for recommendations of new proton conducting composites with optimized properties for future energy technologies.

Financial support by the Klima- und Energiefonds within the program "Energieforschungsprogramm 2018" is gratefully acknowledged.

Synopsis

A fully integrated system of CO₂+H₂O high-temperature co-electrolysis (Co-SOEC) and catalytic methanation will be developed and tested in form of a 10kW_el function carrier.

Persons involved

Project leader: DI Richard Schauperl (AVL)

Project leader part MUL-PC: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Werner Sitte

Project staff: Andreas Egger, Sarah Eisbacher-Lubensky, Edith Bucher, Werner Sitte

Project partners

- AVL-List GmbH

- Montanuniversität Leoben, Lehrstuhl für Verfahrenstechnik des industriellen Umweltschutzes

- Fraunhofer IKTS Dresden (DE)

- Energieinstitut an der JKU Linz

- Prozess Optimal CAP GmbH

- External Partners (per LOI): OMV, RAG, EVN, voestalpine, K1-MET

Period: 01/2018 - 02/2023

Abstract

Power-to-Gas (PtG) represents a key technology for developing low-carbon energy systems with a high share of fluctuating electricity production from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, since renewable power can be stored in chemical energy carriers, typically in hydrogen or methane. These gases can be used as CO₂ neutral fuels, or can be re-transformed to electricity when needed. Among others, the advantage of methane over hydrogen is the already widely existing infrastructure, since methane can be fed into natural gas networks or used as fuel for existing gas-fired power plants as well as natural gas vehicles.

The flagship project HYDROMETHA is a strongly horizontal and vertical integrated joint undertaking consisting of a development service provider (AVL List GmbH, coordinator), a fuel cell component manufacturer (Plansee SE), research institutes (Energieinstitut JKU, Fraunhofer IKTS, Montanuniversitaet Leoben) and the Austrian small businesses Repotec and Prozess Optimal. The flagship project HYDROMETHA will start centrally with a specification definition, followed by parallel development activities of the key technologies CO₂+H₂O Co-electrolysis with Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cells (Co-SOEC) and catalytic methanation. Then, these two key technologies will be coupled to a 10kWel functional unit and experimentally validated on a test rig.

The key targets of this system are as follows:

• CO₂+H₂O Co-electrolysis with an overall system efficiency >90%, providing a highly efficient CO2 sink

• Increasing the overall electrical Co-SOEC plus methanation efficiency compared to systems using low-temperature PEM electrolysis >30%

• Increasing power densities of the Co-SOEC cells >100%

• Dynamic operation of the methanation in a load range between 20% and 120%

• Significantly improving heat management compared to systems without Co-SOEC, leading to a reduction of heat energy losses >50%

Additionally, a central motivation for the project is the establishment of a national and international value chain for Co-SOEC technologies. Five reputable associated industry partners will participate in the proposed project. This underlines the high ecological and economic relevance of the project, as well as the technology's potential for sustainable national and international energy systems. Furthermore, these partners will ensure a market oriented development from an early R&D state. In case of a successful project completion, OMV, RAG, EVN, voestalpine and K1-MET will participate in a scale-up to a pilot plant.

Financial support by the Klima- und Energiefonds within the program "Energieforschung 2016" is gratefully acknowledged.

Synopsis

Within the project „ReFoxEnergie“ Montanuniversitaet Leoben (Chair of Physical Chemistry) and Graz Technical University (Institute of Thermal Engineering) investigate sustainable and efficient energy conversion and storage in solid oxide fuel cells and solid oxide electrolysis cells. The special focus of the project is on reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs), which may on demand, convert the chemical energy of a fuel (e.g. hydrogen, methane, alcohols or diesel) into electrical energy, or store electrical energy in form of hydrogen, synthesis gas, or – coupled with methanation – methane. The aim is a deeper understanding of the electrochemical processes and degradation mechanisms of RSOCs in order to increase the performance and reliability for future applications.

Persons involved

Project leader: Assoc.Prof. DI Dr. Edith Bucher

Project staff: Andreas Egger, Sarah Eisbacher-Lubensky, Werner Sitte

Project partner

- Graz Technical University (Institute of Thermal Engineering)

Period : 03/2018 - 02/2022

Abstract

The project „ReFoxEnergie“ investigates the next-generation technologies of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) for the sustainable supply and storage of environmentally benign energy with high efficiency. The focus is on the innovative combination of SOFCs and SOECs in reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs), which may on demand, convert the chemical energy of a fuel into electrical energy (fuel cell mode), or store electrical energy in form of a chemical carrier (electrolysis mode). The combination of both technologies in a single system is of enormous advantage since the change between SOFC- and SOEC-operation modes is feasible within very short time scales. In addition, the cells show excellent efficiencies and high fuel flexibility. Apart from pure hydrogen, RSOCs may be operated with syngas and commercial energy carriers (methane, alcohols, diesel etc.). This is an enormous advantage over other fuel cell types, which are limited to highly pure hydrogen and may be operated only in fuel cell or only in electrolysis mode.

So far, very few studies on reversible solid oxide cells are available world-wide. Extensive basic research efforts are still needed in order to increase the efficiency and long-term stability of combined SOFC/SOEC-systems. Especially, the reversible operation of RSOC-systems represents new and additional challenges to materials development, testing equipment, data acquisition and analysis, which will be in the focus of the project. During reversible operation of SOFC/SOEC cells in the RSOC-mode, the insufficient long-term stability under application-relevant conditions is an especially critical factor, which currently limits the broad market introduction of this efficient and sustainable energy technology. Therefore, one of the major aims of the project is to gain a deeper understanding for the chemical and electrochemical processes of the cell degradation, and to use this knowledge to develop strategies for the prevention of cell degradation or even for the regeneration of the cells.

This project is funded by the Province of Styria within the "Zukunftsfonds Steiermark".

Synopsis

Experimental data for failure analysis of SOFC cells and stacks are generated for various application-relevant test conditions. Via (future) development and application of simulation tools, measurement and test systems, fundamentally new data shall be obtained that allows the estimation of meaningful acceleration factors for some of the most important failure modes of stationary SOFC operation.

Persons involved

Project leader: Dr. Vincent Lawlor (AVL)

Project leader part MUL: Assoc.Prof. Dr. Edith Bucher

Project staff: Andreas Egger, Peter Gsaxner, Martin Perz, Nina Schrödl, Werner Sitte

Project partners

- AVL-List GmbH

- TU Graz (Institut für Wärmetechnik)

- External Partner (per LOI): Fraunhofer IKTS Dresden (DE)

Period: 11/2016 - 08/2021

Abstract

High temperature fuel cells (SOFCs) are an efficient and sustainable technology for reducing Austria's CO2 emissions while meeting its energy demands. For stationary SOFC systems there is a strong requirement for developments in order to increase the system's lifetime and reliability. This is a critical and unresolved theme, which prevented the broad market launch so far. Currently system integrators do not have the possibility of qualifying SOFC stack reliability and durability within their systems/products. The consortium is convinced that there is a strong research requirement for new methods that qualify the reliability and durability of SOFC stacks. Within the proposed research project, a new methodology shall be developed, which allows the statistical qualification of the most important failure modes of stationary SOFC stacks via meaningful acceleration factors. For this purpose, experimental data for the degradation of SOFC components, cells and stacks will be generated within this project for various, application-oriented test conditions. Via (future) development and application of simulation tools, measurement and test systems, fundamentally new data shall be obtained that allows the estimation of meaningful acceleration factors for some of the most important failure modes of stationary SOFC operation. Fundamental research from the academic partners is an essential factor for accomplishing this objective.

Montanuniversität Leoben will perform experimental, fundamental research oriented investigations of the long-term degradation of SOFC cathode materials and cathode-electrolyte interfaces. Furthermore, Montanuniversität Leoben will support the consortium by delivering results of electrochemical and kinetic measurements as well as performing post mortem analysis. At TU Graz, tests will be executed that will deliver new data of the stability of cells/stacks against (combined) poisoning reactions and mechanical strain under application-oriented conditions. IKTS will support in provision of the SOFC hardware and will cooperate as indicated in the LOI included in the Appendix.

Based on those research activities, AVL will integrate the data/insights gained into the development of the reliability- and durability diagnosis tools. This methodology, based on physical and engineering principles, shall be validated with a proof-of-concept reliability and durability test. Finally, the methodology for the electrochemical system monitoring and diagnosis shall contribute to practical and cost effective enhancements in the field of durability and reliability of stationary SOFC systems.

Financial support by the Klima- und Energiefonds within the program "Energieforschungsprogramm 2015" is gratefully acknowledged.

Synopsis

The aim of the project is a detailed understanding of the mass and charge transport properties, defect chemistry and oxygen/hydrogen exchange in new, substituted rare earth nickelates with regard to applications in future energy technologies.

Persons involved

Project leader: Assoz.Prof. Dr. Edith Bucher

Project staff: Christian Berger, Andreas Egger, Peter Gsaxner, Nina Schrödl, Werner Sitte 

Project partners

- Centre for electron microscopy, Graz

- Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart

Period: 03/2016 - 08/2019

Abstract

Oxide ceramics with high oxygen and proton conductivities, high electronic conductivity and high catalytic activity offer a range of future applications in the energy sector, like electrodes for high temperature fuel and electrolyser cells, ceramic membranes for selective oxygen or hydrogen separation, electrochemical oxygen or hydrogen sensors and heterogeneous catalysts. Rare earth nickelates An+1BnO3n+1 (A = La, Pr, Nd; B = Ni; n = 1,2,3 etc.) are among the materials with the highest diffusivities and ionic conductivities currently known, and show good electronic conductivities. Substitution of these compounds on the A- and B-lattice sites offers the opportunity of tailoring the material properties. However, a deeper understanding of the mass and charge transport properties, defect chemistry and structure property relations is a pre-condition for this purpose which is currently not met. Especially investigations on the suspected proton conductivity in these materials are lacking.

In the current project promising new compositions of A- and B-site substituted rare earth nickelates, which will be selected on the basis of structural-chemical considerations, are synthesized and characterized with respect to structure-property relationships. MUL will focus on the preparation of the materials and their characterisation with respect to phase purity, oxygen nonstoichiometry, oxygen exchange kinetics and ionic/electronic conductivities. MPI will complement these activities by the experimental determination of the oxygen and proton exchange properties of thin film electrodes and the investigation of the underlying reaction mechanisms. The jointly obtained results of MUL and MPI will be incorporated in the development of defect chemical models for the new materials, considering electronic species and O-defects as well as for the first time H-defects. The participation of ZFE allows the correlation of the mass and charge transport properties, investigated by MUL and MPI, with microstructural properties. For this purpose ZFE will perform accompanying analyses with high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) including, for the first time, in-situ TEM analyses of atomic structural changes induced by variations in the oxygen content of new rare earth nickelates. As a result of the project a knowledge basis will be created to predict the effects of specific substitutions on the structure and transport properties of rare earth nickelates and to develop new materials for future applications in the energy sector.

Financial support by the Klima- und Energiefonds within the program "Energieforschung (e!MISSION)" is gratefully acknowledged.

Synopsis

Cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells are investigated with respect to long term stability in real operating conditions. By failure analysis of degraded cathodes as well as cells models for reliability analysis and test procedures for the prediction of long term stability are developed, which will be validated by application to promising cathode materials.

Project leader: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Werner Sitte

Project staff: Edith Bucher, Andreas Egger, Wolfgang Preis, Peter Gsaxner

Period: 03/2010 - 02/2013

Co-operations:

- AVL List GmbH Austria

- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Germany

Funding: Klima- und Energiefonds, vertreten durch die Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH (FFG)