A Study of Transport Geometry on Heat/Mass Transfer and Polarization of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Ji ◽  
J. N. Chung ◽  
Kun Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Heat Mass Transfer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Current Path

The main objective of this paper is to examine the effects of transport geometry on the efficiency of an electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cell. A three-dimensional thermo-fluid-electrochemical model is developed to the influences of channel dimensions, rib width and electrolyte thickness on the temperature, mass transfer coefficients, species concentration, local current density and power density. Results demonstrate that decreasing the height of flow channels can significantly lower the average solid temperature and improve the cell efficiency due to higher heat/mass transfer coefficient between the channel wall and flow stream, and a shorter current path. However, this improvement is limited for the smallest channel. The cell with a thicker rib width and a thinner electrolyte layer has higher efficiency and lower average temperature. Numerical simulation will be expected to help optimize the design of a solid oxide fuel cell.

Numerical Analysis of Heat/Mass Transfer and Electrochemical Reaction in an Anode-Supported Flat-Tube Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayuki Suzuki ◽  
Naoki Shikazono ◽  
Koji Fukagata ◽  
Nobuhide Kasagi
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Electrochemical Reaction ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Flat Tube

Three-dimensional heat and mass transfer and electrochemical reaction in an anode-supported flat-tube solid oxide fuel cell (FT-SOFC) are studied. Transport and reaction phenomena mainly change in the streamwise direction. Exceptionally, hydrogen and water vapor have large concentration gradients also in the cross section perpendicular to the flow direction, because of the insufficient mass diffusion in the porous anode. Based on these results, we develop a simplified one-dimensional cell model. The distributions of temperature, current, and overpotential predicted by this model show good agreement with those obtained by the full three-dimensional simulation. We also investigate the effects of pore size, porosity and configuration of the anode on the cell performance. Extensive parametric studies reveal that, for a fixed three-phase boundary (TPB) length, rough material grains are preferable to obtain higher output voltage. In addition, when the cell has a thin anode with narrow ribs, drastic increase in the volumetric power density can be achieved with small voltage drop.

Interdigitated Heat/Mass Transfer and Chemical/Electrochemical Reactions in a Planar Type Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Wen Li ◽  
Laura Schaefer ◽  
Minking K. Chyu
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Current Density ◽  
Heat Mass Transfer ◽  
High Current Density ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Operation Conditions

The details of the heat/mass transfer in a planar type solid oxide fuel cell that controls the energy conversion performance are studied by employing a three-dimensional numerical computation for the fields of velocity, gas mass fractions and temperature. The SOFC under investigation is a unit working in a SOFC stack. It has the tri-layer of anode-electrolyte-cathode and interconnects having multiple channels for fuel and air. Two designs of the tri-layer, anode-supported and electrolyte-supported, are studied. Pre-reformed fuel gas with components of H2, H2O, CO, CO2 and CH4 is arranged in cross-flow direction with airflow. Further reforming and shift reaction in fuel channels were considered at chemical equilibrium. It was found that the consumption and production of gas species are different in the different channels. High current density was located in the upstream area of fuel channels. The operation conditions of current density affected the temperature level significantly.

Three-Dimensional Simulation of Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack

2008 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshitaka Inui ◽  
Tadashi Tanaka ◽  
Tomoyoshi Kanno
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cell Stack ◽  
Dimensional Simulation

Entropy Generation Minimization in a Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Sciacovelli ◽  
Vittorio Verda
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Entropy Generation ◽  
Energy Equation ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Geometrical Parameters ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Cell Geometry ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Entropy Generation Minimization

The aim of the paper is to investigate possible design modifications in tubular solid oxide fuel cell geometry to increase its performance. The analysis of the cell performances is conducted on the basis of the entropy generation. The use of this technique makes it possible to identify the phenomena provoking the main irreversibilities, understand their causes and propose changes in the system design and operation. The different contributions to the entropy generation are analyzed in order to develop new geometries that increase the fuel cell efficiency. To achieve this purpose, a CFD model of the cell is used. The model includes energy equation, fluid dynamics in the channels and in porous media, current transfer, chemical reactions, and electrochemistry. The geometrical parameters of the fuel cell are modified to minimize the overall entropy generation.

Three-Dimensional Nanostructured Bilayer Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with 1.3 W/cm2 at 450 °C

Nano Letters ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4551-4555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihwan An ◽  
Young-Beom Kim ◽  
Joonsuk Park ◽  
Turgut M. Gür ◽  
Fritz B. Prinz
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel
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