Numerical Simulation of Planar SOFC to Study the Electrode Microstructure Influence

It is anticipated that fuel cells technologies will have a considerable role in the sustainable and productive energy system in the future owing to their elevated energy efficiency and fuel flexibility. Recently, the progress for fuel cells has gone quickly. However these technologies are in their early development stage, although, the potential is huge. A three-dimensional numerical model based on the finite element method is developed to assess the performance of the planar SOFC. The governing equations for momentum, species, charges are solved by a segregated solver. The model is operated at a steady state, to observe polarization curves, concentration profiles, and current density profiles. It has been validated by showing good agreement with experimental data at an operating temperature of 1000 K. The effect of the electronic phase volume fraction in the active layer is investigated using a parametric sweep study. This study admits to a good understanding of the relation between the performance of SOFC and the microstructure.