Abstract
This review paper introduces recent national projects in relation to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, current status of the R&D for high temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) technologies, and related research with powder metallurgy. From 2014, a new national research program, cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) has been started with 10 projects. Among them, “Energy Carrier Project” has been started which includes the study of hydrogen carrier synthesis and hydrogen carrier combustion with gas turbine. In the SOFC R&D, some technological issues were introduced: degradation and reliability were the main issues to commercialize the SOFC-type “Ene-farm system”. To increase the life-time of SOFC cell-stacks, degradation mechanism have been clarified especially with relation to impurities. By the impurity analysis at SOFC reaction sites, degradation mechanism and life time estimation have been clarified, which enabled us to increase the life time of SOFCs up to 10 years.
