Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Title

Micro-Modeling of Porous Composite Anodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 6-2012

Abstract

A new anode micromodel for solid oxide fuel cells to predict the electrochemical performance of hydrocarbon-fuelled porous composite anodes with various microstructures is developed. In this model, the random packing sphere method is used to estimate the anode microstructural properties, and the complex interdependency among the multicomponent mass transport, electron and ion transports, and electrochemical and chemical reactions is taken into account. As a case study, a porous Ni–YSZ composite anode operated with biogas fuel is simulated numerically and distributions of the current density, polarization, and mole fraction and rate of flux of the fuel components along the thickness of the anode are determined. The effect of the anode microstructural variables including the porosity, thickness, particle-size ratio, and particle size and volume fraction of Ni particles on the anode electrochemical performance is also studied. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1893–1906, 2012

Publication Title

AIChE Journal

Volume

58

Issue

6

First Page

1893

Last Page

1906

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