Olivier Bucheli

• Managing Director at SOLIDpower - HTceramix SA

No abstract is available for this article.

SOLIDpower provides efficient energy solutions based on its proprietary planar SOFC technology. The first commercial product of the company is the EnGen™-2500. The company deploys the CE certified 2.5 kW combined heat and power generator within the FCH-JU project ene.field and with selected European partners. The EnGen™-2500 uses natural gas for co...

SOLIDpower provides efficient energy solutions based on its proprietary planar SOFC technology. The first commercial product of the company is the EnGen™-2500. The company deploys the CE certified 2.5 kW combined heat and power generator within the FCH-JU project ene.field and with selected European partners. The EnGen™-2500 uses natural gas for co...

In the past years HTceramix SA - SOFCpower has developed with its partners an innovative stack design optimized for high electrical efficiencies and low manufacturing costs. Using CFD models coupled with an optimizer based on Monte-Carlo methods, the quality of different fuel flow distribution systems was tested ab initio, allowing developing a des...

SOFCpower SpA provides efficient energy solutions based on its proprietary planar SOFC technology. The company focuses on products that use natural gas either for heat and power generation (CHP) or for distributed power generation at high electrical and total efficiencies. The company develops and manufactures SOFC power modules in close collaborat...

In this study, two short SOE stacks (6-cells) were characterized in steam-electrolysis mode. The first was based on Ni- YSZ supported cells with LSCF-based air electrodes. The second included LSC-based air electrodes specifically developed within the SOFC600 project. The stacks were fed with a 90% steam, 10% hydrogen mixture, and characterized betw...

A 5-cell solid oxide fuel cell stack was tested during 10,000h of continuous operation with simulated reformate gas as fuel (71vol.% H2, 20.7vol.% CO2 and 8.3vol.% steam) under high fuel utilization (73%) and constant current load (0.5Acm−2 or 25A) at 750°C. In situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to monitor the evolution of ohmic a...

SOFCpower-HTceramix' mission is to offer new energy solutions to the distributed electricity market based upon its efficient and competitive solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. The company develops and manufactures SOFC power modules in close collaboration with European heat appliance OEMs and utilities for domestic cogeneration and distribute...

SOFCpower-HTceramix' mission is to offer new energy solutions in the deregulated electricity market, based upon its highly efficient Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. SOFCpower develops SOFC stacks and thermally integrated stacks (HoTbox{trade mark, serif}) for OEM companies commercializing new power generators and co-generation systems. Sin...

The Integrated Project Real-SOFC joined 26 partners from throughout Europe active in SOFC technology. The project was funded by the European Commission within the 6th Framework Programme and aimed at improving the durability of planar SOFC stacks to degradation rates of well below 1% per 1000 hours of operation. This is an essential requirement in...

Manufacturing of SOFC stacks capable to demonstrate high performances and robustness is a critical and ambitious goal for all SOFC developers. In order to enter the market in the next years, all customer requirements need to be met, combining robustness and performance at a competitive manufacturing cost being the most challenging one. For these re...

This paper reports on medium term tests of anode-supported five-cell short stacks, as well as on some separate anode development. Two stacks were operated under steady-state conditions: one with unprotected metal interconnects, H2 fuel and 0.35Acm−2 (40% fuel utilisation) polarisation current showed an average cell voltage degradation of 56mV per 1...

Our planar SOFC stacking technology uses unprofiled metallic interconnects (MIC) and thin cells of tape cast anode supported YSZ. The key element is the gas diffusion layer (GDL) between cell and MIC, which consists of so-called SOFConnex™. Using square cells with internal manifolds, 0.5 W/cm2 stack power density (800°C) can be obtained on short st...

The Integrated Project Real-SOFC joins 26 partners from throughout Europe active in planar SOFC technology. The project is funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme and aims at improving the understanding of degradation in SOFC stacks and extending the durability of planar SOFC devices such that they become viable for s...

Our planar SOFC stacking technology uses unprofiled metallic interconnects (MIC) and thin cells of tape cast anode supported YSZ. The key element is the gas diffusion layer (GDL) between cell and MIC, which consists of so-called SOFConnex™. Using square cells with internal manifolds, 0.5 W/cm2 stack power density (800°C) can be obtained on short st...

Electrical output behaviour obtained on solid oxide fuel cell stacks, based on planar anode supported cells (50 or 100 cm2 active area) and metallic interconnects, is reported. Stacks (1–12 cells) have been operated with cathode air and anode hydrogen flows between 750 and 800 °C operating temperature. At first polarisation, an activation phase (in...

Strontium lanthanum manganite (LSM) and lanthanum ferrite (LSF) perovskite cathode and oxygen membrane materials were synthesized using different techniques: spray pyrolysis, a modified citrate route, oxalate and carbonate co-precipitations. The use of Ca, a cheaper substituent on the A-site, was explored along to the substitution of La by Pr. The...

Our SOFC stack development technology is based on the unique SOFConnexTM concept, using flexible gas distribution layers between metal sheet interconnect and thin ASE cells. Flexibility is given both in material and design. This ensures proper electrical contact over the whole cell (50 cm2 active), without necessitating restrictive cell fabrication...

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) application development is very well represented in Switzerland by two companies. Sulzer Hexis AG is one of the world leaders in the commercialization of SOFC systems for single family houses. A smaller company, HTceramix, is active in novel processing routes for cells and in innovative stack designs. This article first...

A model for a 1000 kW class solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system running on biogas from a sewage sludge digestion plant was implemented in a process flow scheme using external steam reforming. The model stack consisted of planar anode supported cells operated at 800 degreesC displaying state-of- the-art electrochemical performance (0.15 W/cm(2) at 8...

This study reports on the combination of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) generators fueled with biogas as renewable energy source, recoverable from wastes but at present underexploited. From a mobilisable near-future potential in the European Union (EU-15) of 17 million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe), under 15% appears to be converted today into useful...

Recent progress in our development of anode supported electrolyte (ASE) SOFcells is reported. The cells are fabricated by cocasting of aqueous slurries of NiO/YSZ and 8YSZ, followed by cofiring. A gradient cathode is deposited by screenprinting successive layers of LSM/YSZ composite and lanthanum cobaltite, followed by a 2nd firing step. Full cells...

To increase power density at reduced temperature operation of SOFC, thin film 8YSZ electrolytes were deposited on Ni–YSZ anode support plates by tape casting and cofiring. Cathode behaviour, limiting cell output at lower temperature, was studied in more detail. Cathodes were deposited by screenprinting and firing. With consecutive layers of doped l...