Numerical Study of H2 Production and Thermal Stress for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells with Various Ribs/Channels
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Model Development
- (1)
- All gases are ideal and incompressible in laminar flow.
- (2)
- The porous electrode is homogeneous.
- (3)
- The anode, electrolyte layer and cathode are isotropic and linear elastic, which conform to the isotropic Hooke’s law.
- (4)
- The thermophysical properties (e.g., elastic modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion, and Poisson ratio) of all SOEC components do not change with the local temperature (i.e., evaluated at a constant temperature of 800 °C).
- (5)
- The interface between the anode, cathode, and electrolyte layer is continuous, allowing for free deformation without any fractures.
2.1. Full-Scale Stack Geometric Parameters and Modeling Methods
2.2. Governing Equations
2.2.1. Electrochemical Reactions
2.2.2. Gas Flow and Momentum Equations
2.2.3. Gas Transport Equations
2.2.4. Heat Transfer Equation
2.2.5. Thermal Stress–Strain Equation
2.3. Boundary Conditions and Parameters
2.4. Model Validation
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Predicted Performance for the Base-Case (i.e., Rib/Channel Width Ratio = 1)
3.2. Effect of Rib/Channel Width Ratio
3.3. Effect of Gradient Configuration and Geometry Parameters
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | Value |
---|---|
Cell width | 91 mm |
Cell length | 91 mm |
Channel height | 1 mm |
Channel width | 1.75 mm |
Rib width | 1.75 mm |
Number of channels | 26 |
Cathode thickness | 410 μm |
Electrolyte layer thickness | 10 μm |
Anode thickness | 25 μm |
γ/A∙m−2 | Eact/J∙mol−1 | |
---|---|---|
Cathode | 1.34 × 1010 | 1.0 × 105 |
Anode | 2.05 × 108 | 1.2 × 105 |
Parameter | Cathode | Electrolyte | Anode | Inter-Connector |
---|---|---|---|---|
Material | Ni-YSZ | YSZ | LSM | stainless steel |
Density, kg/m3 | 7740 | 6000 | 5300 | 7700 |
Specific heat capacity (W·kg−1·K−1) | 595 | 400 | 607 | 600 |
Thermal conductivity (W−1·m·K−1) | 6.23 | 2.7 | 10 | 44.5 |
Electronic/ionic conductivity (1/Ω·m) | 769,000 | |||
CTE, (1/K) | 12.2 | 10.3 | 11.7 | 15.5 |
Young modulus (GPa) | 57 | 185 | 35 | 214 |
Poisson’s ratio | 0.28 | 0.32 | 0.25 | 0.3 |
Boundary Conditions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Momentum | Thermal | Species | Electric Potential | |
Top IC wall | Stationary wall with no slip for velocity | Symmetry | Zero diffusive flux | Φtop = Vcell |
Bottom IC wall | Stationary wall with no slip for velocity | Symmetry | Zero diffusive flux | Φbottem = 0 |
Air inlet | 0.33 L/min | 800 °C | 21% O2 + 79% N2 | Insulation |
Air outlet | Pressure condition | Convection | Convection | Insulation |
Fuel inlet | 0.217 L/min | 800 °C | 90% H2O + 10% H2 | Insulation |
Fuel outlet | Pressure condition | Convection | Convection | Insulation |
Side walls | Stationary wall with no slip for velocity | Insulation | Zero diffusive flux | Insulation |
Rib/Channel Width Ratio | Rib Width | Channel Width |
---|---|---|
5:2 | 2.5 mm | 1 mm |
4:3 | 2 mm | 1.5 mm |
1:1 (base-case) | 1.75 mm | 1.75 mm |
3:4 | 1.5 mm | 2 mm |
2:5 | 1 mm | 2.5 mm |
Cases | Ribs | Cross-Section Parameters of Channel Inlet | Cross-Section Parameters of Channel Outlet |
---|---|---|---|
Case-0 | Traditionally straight and parallel channel | ||
Case-1 | Gradient channel expanding in width direction | ||
Case-2 | Gradient channel expanding in thickness direction | ||
Case-3 | Gradient channel shrinking in width direction | ||
Case-4 | Gradient channel shrinking in thickness direction |
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Liu, Y.; Xiao, L.; Wang, H.; Ou, D.; Yuan, J. Numerical Study of H2 Production and Thermal Stress for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells with Various Ribs/Channels. Energies 2024, 17, 510. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17020510
Liu Y, Xiao L, Wang H, Ou D, Yuan J. Numerical Study of H2 Production and Thermal Stress for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells with Various Ribs/Channels. Energies. 2024; 17(2):510. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17020510
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Yingqi, Liusheng Xiao, Hao Wang, Dingrong Ou, and Jinliang Yuan. 2024. "Numerical Study of H2 Production and Thermal Stress for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells with Various Ribs/Channels" Energies 17, no. 2: 510. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17020510