Computer modeling of single-chamber SOFCs with hydrocarbon fuel

Abstract

The modeling of a single-chamber SOFC has been performed under various fuel/air mixing ratios. Specifically, the energy and mass balance of a single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SC-SOFC) were investigated. Electrodes with selective catalytic activity were adapted and dry methane and oxygen mixture diluted by N-2 was prepared as a fuel. The temperature and gas concentration for the reforming reactions, the water-gas shift reaction, and electrochemical reactions were calculated by a numerical model. Fluid dynamics, heat conduction convection, and mass diffusion convection were considered in the frame of a Finite Element Method (FEM). Through the numerical approach of a SOFC with hydrocarbon fuel, the reactant and product gas distribution, the temperature distribution and cell performance with catalytically active electrodes were successfully predicted. Using the calculated the concentration distribution and the temperature distribution, ohmic loss, activation loss and concentration loss were obtained.