CFD modeling and analysis of anode supported solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are promising energy conversion devices that offer high efficiency and low environmental impact. In order to understand and accurately estimate the SOFCs performance, advanced modeling techniques are required due to SOFCs complicated multi-physics nature and complex fluid flow patterns. This thesis focuses on adopting a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis approach to study the performance of SOFCs in terms of electrical power output, thermal gradients across the cell, and fuel and oxidant consumption through the cell’s gas channels. Two different three-dimensional models were developed and experimentally validated for tubular and planar SOFCs. The effect of the cell’s operating conditions and structure properties on its performance was studied. Additionally, the planar cell thermal gradients as a function of the operating conditions were studied. The results show the effect of operating temperature on cell performance and the hydrogen and oxygen mass fraction across the fuel and air channels, respectively, for both tubular and planar models. Finally, a parametric analysis was conducted to study the effect of the cell’s structure parameters, such as anode porosity, anode thickness, and electrolyte thickness, on the tubular and planar cells’ performance. Additionally, the effect of changing operating parameters such as the inlet temperature and flow rate of fuel and oxidant on the thermal gradient across the planar cell.