Effects of cell geometries on performance of tubular solid oxide fuel cell

A two-dimensional model comprising fuel channel, anode, cathode and electrolyte for an anode-supported tubular solid oxide fuel cell (AST-SOFC), has been developed, considering mass and charge transport. By using the model approach, different geometries of the AST-SOFC are proposed and simulated, further analyzing and discussing species transport phenomena and current distribution inside the cell. The results illustrate that effects of current collectors are more remarkable to cell performances for AST-SOFC having a larger current collector than that holding smaller one. The cell with thinner anode is in need of the bigger anode current collecting area to have a high performance. While the cell has the bigger diameter, the current demands the wider path to flow from anode to cathode, thus demanding the thicker anode support for obtaining the higher performance. These calculations can be used to design and optimize the AST-SOFC.