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ISBN: 978-1-56700-537-0

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-538-7

ISSN Online: 2377-424X

International Heat Transfer Conference 17
August, 14-18, 2023, Cape Town, South Africa

A Hierarchical Model for Planar SOFC Based on Decoupling of Fluid Topology and Electrochemical Reaction

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC17.170-30
10 pages

Abstract

The numerical model employed for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) elucidates the transport and conversion mechanisms governing gas composition. Moreover, it establishes a connection between mechanism parameters and operational performance. In this study, an innovative hierarchical model designed specifically for planar SOFCs is presented. This model encompasses a one-dimensional electrochemical reaction model that facilitates the separation of diffusion and reaction processes, along with an energy flow model perpendicular to and along the direction of gas flow. The electrochemical reaction model effectively divides the electrode into distinct layers: the reaction layer and the diffusion layer. A self-adaptive boundary is incorporated to uncouple these two processes. To characterize the local reaction kinetics, the Area Specific Resistance (ASR) under various operating parameters is determined. The energy flow model utilizes chemical potential to establish connections among electromotive force, component concentration, and local reaction kinetics. It constructs an equivalent chemical resistance network that reflects the transport characteristics of gas flow channels within the planar SOFC. By employing this model, we are able to ascertain gas concentration along the channel. The network element parameters, calculated based on the ASR, are updated utilizing the gas concentration obtained through the electrochemical model. Consequently, these two models collectively capture the electrochemical properties of fuel cells and the gas flow channel's topology, respectively. The proposed model demonstrates exceptional accuracy when compared to experimental results, while considerably reducing computational time in comparison to the Finite Volume Method (FVM) model. This proposed model not only assesses the transport and transformation laws of chemical energy, but also disentangles the intricate topology of the gas flow channel from the electrochemical properties.