Two-cell solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) short stacks with anode-facing-cathode (A-C), anode-facing-anode (A-A), and cathode-facing-cathode (C-C) configurations were fabricated and operated in single chamber conditions. Fuel cells consist of NiO/Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) anode support, YSZ electrolyte, and (La, Sr)MnO3 (LSM) cathode. The A-C stack obtains the highest OCV, the A-A stack obtains the highest actual temperature of stack, and the C-C stack obtains the highest power output in the same condition. A high flow rate was necessary for the A-A stack to obtain a good performance of stack due to the non-selectivity anode. A low N-2 flow rate was propitious to the C-C stack: the peak power output was about 740 mW at N-2 flow rate of 100 cm(3) min(-1). (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.