A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical conversion device that produces electricity directly from oxidizing a fuel. Metal-supported SOFCs offer a variety of manufacturing benefits and a more rugged design over more traditional sintering methods. Thermal spray technologies such as plasma spraying carry the promise of reducing the cost and increasing the yield of SOFC manufacturing when compared to bulk ceramic sintering processes. The ability to apply thin layers, with varying microstructure and mechanical properties is ideally suited to the fabrication of the functional layers and protective layers, especially on metal-supported SOFCs. 

Decarbonization is a growth opportunity for Cummins, and as such the company is investing in the transition to zero emissions through its New Power Business segment. This presentation will focus more specifically on SOFCs, a non-conventional application for thermal spray which is at the heart of this technological development. 

An overview of the evolution and learnings over the last decade from the proof of concept in a laboratory environment to the scale up toward large scale manufacturing is presented. For example, the challenges associated with minimizing application time and lowering cost while maintaining high coating performance at high yield are discussed.