Flattened ribbed cells

Various alternative cell designs are under development to avoid the difficulties mentioned above. For example, flattened ribbed cells have been conceived to obtain higher power densities than tubular cells yet require no seals. Another example is the seal-less planar design which is being developed to ease the sealing issues of planar cell stacks. 

Attempts are being made at replacing the very expensive EVD process by other techniques. The cells are connected to bundles via nickel felts. The high ohmic resistance of this concept requires an operating temperature between 900 and 1000°C to reach power densities of about 200 mW/cm. To overcome this problem SWPC is working on a modified concept, using flattened tubes with internal ribs for reduced resistance (see Fig. 1). 

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