3D Simulation of Effect of Geometry and Temperature Distribution on SOFC Performance

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Khaje Nasir Toosi University of Technology

2 Mechanical Engineering Department. K. N. Toosi University of Technology. Tehran . Iran

Abstract

Rapid population growth will increase the need for renewable energy resources. On the other hand, the extent of pollution from fossil fuels has made life on Earth difficult. However, the need to choose a suitable, cheap and clean alternative to fossil fuels is obvious. One of the proposed energy sources is electrical energy generated by fuel cells, which are currently a suitable solution due to high efficiency, non-pollution of the environment and the use of hydrogen as fuel. In this research, a solid oxide fuel cell with two different geometries is simulated in three dimensions. The equations governing the performance of the fuel cell, including electrochemical, momentum, mass transfer, and energy, were coupled, solved and investigated by  using a finite element code,. The results showed that the tubular geometry with the same dimensions and mechanical characteristics has a better performance than the planar type. By solving the energy equation in the case of non-uniform temperature distribution, it was shown that the power density of the fuel cell reduces by about 7%. It was also found that cathodic pressure changes have a greater effect on fuel cell performance than anodic pressure changes. Furthermore, the results showed that increasing the thickness of the anode has a significant effect on increasing its performance compared to increasing the thickness of other fuel cell components.
 
.

Keywords

Smiley face

References

  1. Wang, K., Hissel, D., Pera, M. C., Steiner, N., Mara, D., Sorrentino, M., Pianese, C., Monteverde, M., Cardone, P., and Saarinen, J. “A Review on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Models”, International journal of hydrogen Energy, Vol. 36, No. 12, pp. 7212-7228, 2011.
  2. Marinha, D., Dessemond, L., and Djurado, E. “Comprehensive Review of Current Developments in IT-SOFCs”, Current Inorganic Chemistry (Discontinued), Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 2-22, 2013.
  3. Gebregergis, A., Pillay, P., Bhattacharyya, D., and Rengaswemy, R. “Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Modeling”, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 139-148, 2008.
  4. Cigolotti, V., Genovese, M., and Fragiacomo, P., “Comprehensive Review on Fuel Cell Technology for Stationary Applications as Sustainable and Efficient Poly-Generation Energy Systems”, Energies, 14, No. 16, p. 4963, 2021.
  5. Bove, R. and Ubertini, S. “Modeling Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Methods, Procedures and Techniques”, Springer Science & Business Media, 2008.
  6. Ranasinghe, S.N. and Middleton, P.H. “Modelling of Single Cell Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using COMSOL Multiphysics”, in 2017 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2017 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC/I&CPS Europe), Milan, Italy, 2017.
  7. Bakal, A., Kaya, M., and Matc, M.D. “Numerical Investigation of Amounts of Heat, Power and Temperature Distribution In IT-SOFC”, ECS Transactions, Vol. 58, No. 3, p. 115, 2013.
  8. Park, J.M., Kim, D.Y., Baek, J.D., Yoon, Y.-J., Su, P.-C., and Lee, S.H. “Numerical Study on Electrochemical Performance of Low-Temperature Micro-Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Submicron Platinum Electrodes”, Energies, Vol. 11, No. 5, 1204, 2018.
  9. Chen, Y., Luo, Y., Shi, Y., and Cai, N. “Theoretical Modeling of Methane Production in Pressurized Micro-Tubular R-SOFC”, Energy Procedia, Vol. 158, pp. 2164-2169, 2019.
  10. Sayadian, S., Ghassemi, M., and Robinson, A.J. “Multi-physics Simulation of Transport Phenomena in Planar Proton-Conducting Solid Oxide Fuel Cell”, Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 481, p. 228997, 2021.
  11. Fahs, I. and ghasemi, M. “Analysis of Thermal Stress Distribution Sensitivity in a Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell”, Aerospace Mechanics Journal, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 25-37, 2020. (In Persian)
  12. Kamvar, M. and Ghassemi, M. “Performance Analysis of Coplanar Single Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with Oxygen-Methane-Nitrogen Mixture Under Steady State Conditions”, Modares Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 31-38, 2017. (In Persian)
  13. Kamvar, M., Ghassemi, M., and Steinberger-Wilckens, R. “The Numerical Investigation of a Planar Single Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Performance with a Focus on the Support Types”, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 45, No. 11, pp. 7077-7087, 2020.
  14. Fox, R.W., McDonald, A.T., and Mitchell, J.W. “Fox and McDonald's Introduction to Fluid Mechanics”, John Wiley & Sons, 2020.

 

Fluid Mechanics & Aerodynamics
Volume 10, Issue 2 - Serial Number 28
February 2022
Pages 169-184

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 16 July 2021
  • Revise Date: 10 January 2022
  • Accept Date: 23 October 2021
  • Publish Date: 20 February 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics