Electrical contact structures for solid oxide electrolyte fuel cell

Claim 1

In an electrical generator of the solid oxide electrolyte fuel cell type wherein a plurality of elongated tubular fuel cell elements are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns within a housing, which fuel cell elements include annular elongated inner and outer electrodes which are insulated from an electrolyte layer sandwiched between the electrodes, with electrical interconnections made between adjacent fuel cell elements of the matrix, which interconnections extend along the elongated tubular length of the fuel cell elements, and wherein gaseous reaction species are introduced at the inner and outer electrodes on opposed sides of the electrolyte for reaction at the electrolyte, and wherein at least two electrical output buses are connected to opposed perimeter rows of the fuel cell elements and extend through the housing for connection to an electrical load line, the improvement wherein the electrical connection of the electrical output buses to the respective row of fuel cell elements comprises: (a) high conductivity means in intimate electrical contact with the outer electrodes of a respective perimeter row of fuel cell elements and which high conductivity means is spaced apart from a respective output bus; (b) a plurality of symmetrically spaced apart electrically conductive members extending transversely from the high conductivity means to the output bus which transversely extending conductive members are electrically connected at opposed ends to the high conductivity means and the output bus to provide a multiplicity of parallel current paths between the high conductivity means and the output bus; (c) thermal insulation means disposed about the transversely extending conductive members between the high conductivity means and output bus.