Understanding Power Enhancement of SOFC by Built-in Chemical Iron Bed: A Computational Approach

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2017. Published by ECS. All rights reserved. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with enhanced fast ramping power capability and overload tolerance can find important applications in grid stability management and critical data center overload protection. Recently, we have demonstrated a new SOFC configuration featuring a built-in chemical Fe-bed in the anode chamber of a tubular SOFC with exceptional fast power ramping capability and overload tolerance. In the present study, we showed our theoretical understanding of the enhanced performance through a two-dimensional axial symmetrical numerical model. The model couples the charge and mass transport in the tubular SOFC with chemical reaction kinetics in the Fe-bed, producing longitudinal distributions of Nernst potential, H 2 O/H 2 molar ratio, local current density and fuel utilization under various operating conditions. The crucial role of Fe-bed in providing instant H 2 to support fast ramping and overload currents has been explicitly explained by this computational model.