Modeling of Co-planar type single-chamber solid oxide fuel cells

A two dimensional, nonisothermal numerical model of a single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell has been developed. For the sake of simplicity in developing the model, hydrogen-air mixture (80% hydrogen, 20% air by volume, which is considered as safe) has been chosen instead of hydrocarbon-air mixtures (which require complex modeling strategy such as reforming via partial oxidation and modeling of two active fuels, i.e., hydrogen and carbon monoxide). The model is based on considering yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as an electrolyte supported material, nickel yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) as anode, and lanthanum strontium manganite as a cathode material. The effect of varying distance between anode and cathode, flow rate, temperature, porosity, and electrolyte thickness has been investigated in terms of electrochemical performance. It has been found that the flow rate and distance between the electrodes' pair are the most sensitive parameters in such type of fuel cells. The model was coded in a commercial software package of finite element analysis, i.e., COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS, 3.3a.