2D thermal modeling of a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) for syngas production by H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be operated in a reversed mode as electrolyzer cells for electrolysis of H2O and CO2. In this paper, a 2D thermal model is developed to study the heat/mass transfer and chemical/electrochemical reactions in a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) for H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis. The model is based on 3 sub-models: a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model describing the fluid flow and heat/mass transfer; an electrochemical model relating the current density and operating potential; and a chemical model describing the reversible water gas shift reaction (WGSR) and reversible methanation reaction. It is found that reversible methanation and reforming reactions are not favored in H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis. For comparison, the reversible WGSR can significantly influence the co-electrolysis behavior. The effects of inlet temperature and inlet gas composition on H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis are simulated and discussed.

► A 2D model is developed for co-electrolysis of H2O/CO2 for syngas production.
► Methanation and internal reforming are not favored in the co-electrolysis process.
► Reversible water gas shift reaction significantly affects H2O/CO2 co-electrolysis.
► Large variation in gas composition complicates the co-electrolysis behavior.