Effect of composite electrode microstructure on temperature distribution in solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology has been shown to be viable, but its profitability has not yet been seen. To achieve a high net efficiency at a low net cost, a detailed understanding of the transport processes both inside and outside of the SOFC stack is required. Of particular significance is an accurate determination of the temperature distribution because material properties, chemical kinetics and transport properties depend heavily on the temperature. Effective utilization of the heat can lead to a substantial increase in overall system efficiency and decrease in operating cost. Despite the extreme importance in accurately predicting temperature, the majority of SOFC modeling work ignores radiative heat transfer. SOFCs operate at temperatures around or above 1200 K, where radiation effects can be significant. In order to correctly predict the radiation heat transfer, participating gases must also be included. Water vapour and carbon dioxide can absorb, emit, and scatter radiation, and are present at the anode in high concentrations. This paper presents a thermal transport model for analyzing heat transfer and improving thermal management within planar SOFCs. The model was implemented using a commercial computational fluid dynamic (CFD) code and includes conduction, convection, and radiation in a participating media. It is clear from this study that radiation must be considered when modelling solid oxide fuel cells. The effect of participating media radiation was shown to be minimal in this geometry, but it is likely to be more important in tubular geometries.

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Dynamic Model for Understanding Spatial Temperature and Species Distributions in Internal-Reforming Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology ◽

10.1115/1.4006477 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Brendan Shaffer ◽

Jacob Brouwer

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Temperature Distribution ◽

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells ◽

Dynamic Model ◽

Temperature Difference ◽

Solid Oxide ◽

Temperature Gradients ◽

Cell Performance ◽

Oxide Fuel ◽

Temperature Differential

Direct internal reformation of methane in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) leads to two major performance and longevity challenges: thermal stresses in the cell due to large temperature gradients and coke formation on the anode. A simplified quasi-two-dimensional direct internal reformation SOFC (DIR-SOFC) dynamic model was developed for investigation of the effects of various parameters and assumptions on the temperature gradients across the cell. The model consists of 64 nodes, each containing four control volumes: the positive electrode, electrolyte, negative electrode (PEN), interconnect, anode gas, and cathode gas. Within each node the corresponding conservation and chemical and electrochemical reaction rate equations are solved. The model simulates the counter-flow configuration since previous research (Achenbach, 1994, “Three-Dimensional and Time-Dependent Simulation of a Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack,” J. Power Sources, 49(1), p. 333) has shown this configuration to yield the smallest temperature differentials for DIR-SOFCs. Steady state simulations revealed several results where the temperature difference across the cell was considerably affected by operating conditions and cell design parameters. Increasing the performance of the cell through modifications to the electrochemical model to simulate modern cell performance produced significant changes in the cell temperature differential. Improved cell performance led to a maximum increase in the temperature differential across the cell of 31 K. An increase in the interconnect thickness from 3.5 to 4.5 mm was shown to reduce the PEN temperature difference about 50 K. Variation of other physical parameters such as the thermal conductivity of the interconnect and the rib width also showed significant effects on the temperature distribution. The sensitivity of temperature distribution to heat losses was also studied, showing a considerable effect near the fuel and air inlets. Increased heat transfer from the cell edges resulted in severe temperature gradients approaching 160 K/cm. The dynamic capability of the spatially resolved dynamic model was also demonstrated for a 45% power increase perturbation while maintaining constant fuel and air utilizations.

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