The lab has access to a range of standard gasses (H2, O2, CO, CO2, CH4, Ar, He) and the possibility to operate safely with poisonous gasses such as NH3 and H2S. State-of-the-art rigs are available for testing single cells and short stacks, as well as individual components and materials. The cell test rigs are compatible with both tubular and planar cell configurations. Lab operators have experience with cells based on the solid oxide, proton ceramic and molten carbonate technologies.
The high temperature lab is located in Forskningsparken in Oslo.
Fuel cell and electrolyser test stations
| Cell type | Planar or tubular |
| Planar cell size | 5x5 cm2 to 10x10 cm2 |
| Single cell/stack | Single cell |
| Pressure | 0-10 bar |
| Humidity control | 90 °C dewpoint (max.) |
| Cathode flow | < 4 L/min |
| Anode flow | < 2 L/min |
| Load bank | 1300 W, 50 V, 250 A |
| Power supply | 1320 W, 6 V, 220 A |
One of these test stations is available for testing with H2S and NH3
Test station for short stacks (Greenlight X100)
| Cell type | Planar |
| Single cell/stack | Short stack (~ 10 cells) |
| Pressure | 0-3 bar |
| Humidity control | 90 °C dewpoint (max.) and direct injection |
| Cathode flow | < 40 L/min |
| Anode flow | < 20 L/min |
| Load bank | 1400 W, 50 V, 250 A |
| Power supply | 5000 W, 30 V, 167 A |
ProboStat test units for single cells
| Cell type | Planar or tubular |
| Planar cell size | Ca. Ø 2 cm ("button cell") |
| Single cell/stack | Single cell |
| Pressure | 0-20 bar |
| Humidity control | 3 % (typically) |
| Cathode flow | < 0.2 L/min |
| Anode flow | < 0.1 L/min |
| Load bank | ~ 40 W |
| Power supply | ~ 40 W |
Other equipment
- Potentiostats/galvanostats and data loggers (Gamry R3000)
- Frequency response analysers for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (Solatron 1260, 1287+1255B)
- LabVIEW software for control, data management and automatization
- H2, CO and H2S sensors for safe operation and automatic shut-down in case of leaks
- Gas analysis by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS)
- Rubotherm thermogravimetric analyser that can be operated up to 1000C ° and 30 bar.
Materials characterization
The high temperature lab is co-located with the Materials Physics group at SINTEF and has access to state-of-the-art equipment for materials characterization.