scholarly journals Recent advances in solid oxide cell technology for electrolysis

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6513) ◽  
pp. eaba6118 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hauch ◽  
R. Küngas ◽  
P. Blennow ◽  
A. B. Hansen ◽  
J. B. Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Synthetic Fuels ◽  
The Past ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Fuels And Chemicals ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Conversion Efficiencies ◽  
Solid Oxide Cell

In a world powered by intermittent renewable energy, electrolyzers will play a central role in converting electrical energy into chemical energy, thereby decoupling the production of transport fuels and chemicals from today’s fossil resources and decreasing the reliance on bioenergy. Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) offer two major advantages over alternative electrolysis technologies. First, their high operating temperatures result in favorable thermodynamics and reaction kinetics, enabling unrivaled conversion efficiencies. Second, SOECs can be thermally integrated with downstream chemical syntheses, such as the production of methanol, dimethyl ether, synthetic fuels, or ammonia. SOEC technology has witnessed tremendous improvements during the past 10 to 15 years and is approaching maturity, driven by advances at the cell, stack, and system levels.

Intermediate-temperature solid oxide electrolysis cells with thin proton-conducting electrolyte and a robust air electrode

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (44) ◽  
pp. 22945-22951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libin Lei ◽  
Zetian Tao ◽  
Xiaoming Wang ◽  
John P. Lemmon ◽  
Fanglin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Intermediate Temperature ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
Electrolysis Cell ◽  
Proton Conducting ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

A proton-conducting solid oxide electrolysis cell (H-SOEC) is a promising device that efficiently converts electrical energy to chemical energy.

3-Dimensional Numerical Analysis of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) Steam Electrolysis Operation for Hydrogen Production

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juhyun Kang ◽  
Joonguen Park ◽  
Joongmyeon Bae
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Model ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Governing Equations ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells ◽  
The Relationship

Hydrogen is a resource that provides energy and forms water only after reacting with oxygen. Because there are no emissions such as greenhouse gases when hydrogen is converted to produce energy, it is considered one of the most important energy resources for addressing the problems of global warming and air pollution. Additionally, hydrogen can be useful for constructing “smart grid” infrastructure because electrical energy from other renewable energy sources can be stored in the form of chemical energy by electrolyzing water, creating hydrogen. Among the many hydrogen generation systems, solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) have attracted considerable attention as advanced water electrolysis systems because of their high energy conversion efficiency and low use of electrical energy. To find the relationship between operating conditions and the performance of SOECs, research has been conducted both experimentally, using actual SOEC cells, and numerically, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this investigation, we developed a 3-D simulation model to analyze the relationship between the operating conditions and the overall behavior of SOECs due to different contributions to the over-potential. All SOECs involve the transfer of mass, momentum, species, and energy, and these properties are correlated. Furthermore, all of these properties have a direct influence on the concentration of the gases in the electrodes, the pressure, the temperature and the current density. Therefore, the conservation equations for mass, momentum, species, and energy should be included in the simulation model to calculate all terms in the transfer of mass, heat and fluid. In this simulation model, the transient term was neglected because the steady state was assumed. All governing equations were calculated using Star-CD (CD Adapco, U.S). The source terms in the governing equations were calculated with in-house code, i.e., user defined functions (UDF), written in FORTRAN 77, and these were linked to the Star-CD solver to calculate the transfer processes. Simulations were performed with various cathode inlet gas compositions, anode inlet gas compositions, cathode thickness, and electrode porosity to identify the main parameters related to performance.

Solid oxide electrolysis – a key enabling technology for sustainable energy scenarios

2015 ◽  
Vol 182 ◽  
pp. 9-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bøgild Hansen
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Extended Version ◽  
Enabling Technology ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Introductory Lecture ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis ◽  
Fuels And Chemicals ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Production of fuels and chemicals from steam and/or CO2 with solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) and electricity have attracted considerable interest recently. This paper is an extended version of the introductory lecture presented at the first Faraday Discussions meeting on the subject. The focus is on the state of the art of cells, stacks and systems. Thermodynamics, performance and degradation are addressed. Remaining challenges and potential application of the technology are discussed from an industrial perspective.

Three-Dimensional Numerical Analysis of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells Steam Electrolysis Operation for Hydrogen Production

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juhyun Kang ◽  
Joonguen Park ◽  
Joongmyeon Bae
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Generation ◽  
Water Electrolysis ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells ◽  
The Relationship

Hydrogen is a resource that provides energy and forms water only after reacting with oxygen. Among the many hydrogen generation systems, solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) have attracted considerable attention as advanced water electrolysis systems because of their high energy conversion efficiency and low use of electrical energy. To find the relationship between operating conditions and the performance of SOECs, research has been conducted both experimentally, using actual SOECs, and numerically, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this investigation, we developed a 3D simulation model to analyze the relationship between the operating conditions and the overall behavior of SOECs due to different contributions to the overpotential. Simulations were performed with various inlet gas compositions of cathode and anode, cathode thickness, and electrode porosity to identify the main parameters related to performance.

In-situ Construction of Hetero-structured Perovskite Composites with Exsolved Fe and Cu Metallic Nanoparticles as Efficient CO2 Reduction Electrocatalyst for High Performance Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuan Xi ◽  
Yun Fan ◽  
Jiujun Zhang ◽  
Jing-Li Luo ◽  
Xian-Zhu Fu
Keyword(s):  
Metallic Nanoparticles ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Co2 Reduction ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Alternative Energy Sources ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis ◽  
Fuels And Chemicals ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) have been widely used for efficient conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals utilizing clean and renewable alternative energy sources. However, the scarcity of...

scholarly journals Solid Oxide Cell Microstructural Performance in Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide Reactant Streams

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary K. van Zandt ◽  
George J. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Cell Polarization ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Microstructural Changes ◽  
Pore Sizes ◽  
Gas Streams ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Parametric Studies ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Solid Oxide Cell

A distributed charge transfer (DCT) model has been developed to analyze solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and electrolyzers operating in H2–H2O and CO–CO2 atmospheres. The model couples mass transport based on the dusty-gas model (DGM), ion and electron transport in terms of charged species electrochemical potentials, and electrochemical reactions defined by Butler–Volmer kinetics. The model is validated by comparison to published experimental data, particularly cell polarization curves for both fuel cell and electrolyzer operation. Parametric studies have been performed to compare the effects of microstructure on the performance of SOFCs and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) operating in H2–H2O and CO–CO2 gas streams. Compared to the H2–H2O system, the power density of the CO–CO2 system shows a greater sensitivity to pore microstructure, characterized by the porosity and tortuosity. Analysis of the pore diameter concurs with the porosity and tortuosity parametric studies that CO–CO2 systems are more sensitive to microstructural changes than H2–H2O systems. However, the concentration losses of the CO–CO2 system are significantly higher than those of the H2–H2O system for the pore sizes analyzed. While both systems can be shown to improve in performance with higher porosity, lower tortuosity, and larger pore sizes, the results of these parametric studies imply that CO–CO2 systems would benefit more from such microstructural changes. These results further suggest that objectives for tailoring microstructure in solid oxide cells (SOCs) operating in CO–CO2 are distinct from objectives for more common H2-focused systems.

scholarly journals Development of catalytic combustion and CO2 capture and conversion technology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhibin Yang ◽  
Ze Lei ◽  
Ben Ge ◽  
Xingyu Xiong ◽  
Yiqian Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Catalytic Combustion ◽  
Coal Gasification ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Integrated Gasification ◽  
Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells ◽  
Sofc Stacks

AbstractChanges are needed to improve the efficiency and lower the CO2 emissions of traditional coal-fired power generation, which is the main source of global CO2 emissions. The integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) process, which combines coal gasification and high-temperature fuel cells, was proposed in 2017 to improve the efficiency of coal-based power generation and reduce CO2 emissions. Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, the IGFC for near-zero CO2 emissions program was enacted with the goal of achieving near-zero CO2 emissions based on (1) catalytic combustion of the flue gas from solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks and (2) CO2 conversion using solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). In this work, we investigated a kW-level catalytic combustion burner and SOEC stack, evaluated the electrochemical performance of the SOEC stack in H2O electrolysis and H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis, and established a multi-scale and multi-physical coupling simulation model of SOFCs and SOECs. The process developed in this work paves the way for the demonstration and deployment of IGFC technology in the future.

scholarly journals A Theoretical Study on Reversible Solid Oxide Cells as Key Enablers of Cyclic Conversion between Electrical Energy and Fuel

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4517
Author(s):  
Saheli Biswas ◽  
Shambhu Singh Rathore ◽  
Aniruddha Pramod Kulkarni ◽  
Sarbjit Giddey ◽  
Sankar Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Electrode Materials ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Lower Efficiency ◽  
Internal Reforming ◽  
Fuels And Chemicals ◽  
The Cost

Reversible solid oxide cells (rSOC) enable the efficient cyclic conversion between electrical and chemical energy in the form of fuels and chemicals, thereby providing a pathway for long-term and high-capacity energy storage. Amongst the different fuels under investigation, hydrogen, methane, and ammonia have gained immense attention as carbon-neutral energy vectors. Here we have compared the energy efficiency and the energy demand of rSOC based on these three fuels. In the fuel cell mode of operation (energy generation), two different routes have been considered for both methane and ammonia; Routes 1 and 2 involve internal reforming (in the case of methane) or cracking (in the case of ammonia) and external reforming or cracking, respectively. The use of hydrogen as fuel provides the highest round-trip efficiency (62.1%) followed by methane by Route 1 (43.4%), ammonia by Route 2 (41.1%), methane by Route 2 (40.4%), and ammonia by Route 1 (39.2%). The lower efficiency of internal ammonia cracking as opposed to its external counterpart can be attributed to the insufficient catalytic activity and stability of the state-of-the-art fuel electrode materials, which is a major hindrance to the scale-up of this technology. A preliminary cost estimate showed that the price of hydrogen, methane and ammonia produced in SOEC mode would be ~1.91, 3.63, and 0.48 $/kg, respectively. In SOFC mode, the cost of electricity generation using hydrogen, internally reformed methane, and internally cracked ammonia would be ~52.34, 46.30, and 47.11 $/MWh, respectively.

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