A metallic seal for high-temperature electrolysis stacks

Abstract

Gas tightness over a long period of time is a real challenge in high-temperature electrolysis. The seals must indeed be able to run at high temperature between metals and brittle ceramic materials, which is a major issue to be solved. The common sealing solution relies on glass-made seals, despite their low mechanical strength at high temperature. Metallic seals have seldom been used in this field, because their stiffness and their hardness require a much higher load to achieve the appropriate tightness.