Glass is the most recognised material to seal solid oxide fuel/electrolyser cell components. We have developed a SrO-La2O3-Al 2O3-SiO2 (SABS-0) based seal glass with all the desired thermophysical properties and thermochemical stability. In this study, the SABS-0 seal glass is sandwiched between AISI 441 interconnect alloy and fully stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte for sealing ability evaluation. The sealing performance and the thermal cycling resistance of the tri-layer assembly are tested by a pressure leakage test with 3-20 K min-1 heating rates for 2,500 h and 100 thermal cycles. The sealing strength is evaluated by a rupture strength test. The results show that the SABS-0 glass is hermetic for at least 2,500 h and has high rupture strength for solid oxide fuel/electrolyser cell component sealing. The stress state for the tri-layer assembly has been analysed using three different approaches. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
