A numerical study on the heat and mass transfer characteristics of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells

The heat and mass transfer characteristics of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) need to be considered when designing SOFCs because they heavily influence the performance and durability of the cells. The physical property models, the governing equations (mass, momentum, energy and species balance equations) and the electrochemical reaction models were calculated simultaneously in a 3-dimensional SOFC simulation. The current density–voltage (I–V) curves measured experimentally from a single SOFC were compared with the simulation data for code validation purposes. The error between the experimental data and the numerical results was less than 5% at operating temperatures from 700 °C to 850 °C. The current density and the mass transfer rate of an anode-supported SOFC were compared with those of a metal-supported SOFC. The metal-supported SOFC had a 17% lower average current density than the anode-supported SOFC because of the bonding layer, but it showed better thermal stability than the anode-supported SOFC because of its more uniform current density distribution. The current density, temperature and pressure drop of the metal-supported SOFC were investigated for several channel designs. A high current density was observed near the hydrogen inlet and at the intersection of the hydrogen and air channels. However, there was a low current density under the rib and at the cell edge because of an insufficient reactant diffusion flux. When the proper channel design was applied to the metal-supported SOFC, the average current density was increased by 45%.