Investigating carbon-induced dual atmosphere corrosion

Research Project, 2022 – 2024

Solid oxide fuel (SOFC) as well as electrolysis (SOEC) cells are promising clean energy technologies allowing a direct conversion of chemical energy of fuels into electric power and vice versa. The metallic components of these devices known as interconnects serve as a support of ceramic electrode layers and separate the oxidizing and reducing gases in the cell. Numerous corrosion issues e.g., Cr-evaporation, breakaway oxidation, and dual atmosphere were reported and discussed in literature over the last 20 year. Although efficient solutions were developed to mitigate the first two of these mechanisms, the actual corrosions mechanisms are still poorly understood and dual atmosphere corrosion still provides a major impediment for the widespread commercialisation of SOFC/SOEC technology. The complexity of the system will increase on changing fuel from hydrogen to hydrocarbons and syngas. Up to date, virtually no knowledge about dual-atmosphere effect by carbon species is available. In this project, corrosion of commercial high-temperature alloys such as ferritic and austenitic steels as well as a Ni-base superalloy will be studied in dual atmosphere conditions with atmospheres containing extremely corrosive carbon species e.g., CO, CO2, CH4 and mixtures of these gases with hydrogen and water vapour. Efficient predictive tools to simulate dual-atmosphere corrosion as well as novel material solutions will be developed based on experiments and physics-based modelling.