Inverse analysis of an internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell system using simplex search method

An inverse problem is solved for estimating fuel cell operating parameters such as current density, pressure and fuel flow rate (FFR) separately and then simultaneously two parameters in an internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell (IRSOFC). Initially, a mathematical model for the forward problem is developed to simulate the IRSOFC steady state operation and its performance in terms of power output and then an inverse problem is solved for recovering the above parameters using a simplex search minimization algorithm. The objective function (IRSOFC power) and the estimation accuracy are studied for the effects of initial guess values of the operating parameters and the number of iterations required for retrieval of these parameters. The objective function is represented by the sum of square of the error between a given IRSOFC power and the power evaluated based on some arbitrary guessed values of the unknowns which is then regularized in an iterative manner for solution of the inverse fuel cell problem. The study reveals that a multiple combinations of parameters (current density, operating pressure and FFR) exist which provides guidelines for selecting feasible combinations of these parameters required for meeting a given power requirement. The results show relatively good agreement between the inverse and exact solutions.