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Simulation of mass transport in SOFC composite electrodes

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Abstract

The anodes used in SOFCs are composites, formed by a mixture of nickel and YSZ particles. This paper presents a model for this type of electrode, taking mass transport effects into account. The effect of the operating conditions, such as temperature and pressure, is discussed. Also, the effect of the choice of the geometrical parameters, such as electrode thickness and particle radius, on the electrode performance is analysed in detail. In particular, the electrode losses display a minimum for a well-defined radius of the electrode particles, which is related to a trade-off between activation and concentration losses.

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Abbreviations

A :

Active area per unit volume (cm2 cm−3)

D :

Diffusivity (cm2 s−1)

F :

Faraday’s constant (96,487 C mol−1)

I :

Overall electrode current density (A cm−2)

i :

Current density in the electrode (A cm−2)

i 0 :

Exchange current density (A cm−2)

i n :

Transfer current density per unit of active area (A cm−2)

N :

Molar flux of the component i (mol cm−2 s−1)

p i :

Partial pressure of i component (atm)

p ref :

Reference pressure (atm)

P :

Particle dimension ratio (r io/r el)

r :

Particle radius (cm)

R :

Universal gas constant (J mol−1 K−1)

r pore :

Mean pore radius (cm)

t :

Overall electrode thickness (cm)

T :

Temperature (K)

V :

Electric potential (V)

x :

Main co-ordinate (cm)

x i :

Molar fraction (of i component) (−)

β:

Transfer coefficient

γ:

Pre-exponential factor (Eq. 8)

ε:

Porosity

η:

Overpotential (V)

ρ:

Resistivity (ohm m)

σ:

Collision diameter (A)

τ:

Tortuosity

φ:

Volumetric fraction of electronic conductor

Ω:

Collision integral

el:

Electronic conductor

io:

Ionic conductor

K :

Knudsen

0:

inlet

eff:

effective

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Ltd and the European Union (European Contracts NNE5-2001-791 PIP-SOFC and SES6-CT-2003-502612 REAL-SOFC) for financial support during this work. Also, the authors acknowledge the British Council/CRUI project for funding an exchange of visits between Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems Ltd and the University of Genoa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DICHEP, University of Genoa, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145, Genoa, Italy

    Marco Cannarozzo, Adriana Del Borghi & Paola Costamagna

Authors
  1. Marco Cannarozzo
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  2. Adriana Del Borghi
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  3. Paola Costamagna
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Correspondence to Paola Costamagna.

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Cannarozzo, M., Borghi, A.D. & Costamagna, P. Simulation of mass transport in SOFC composite electrodes. J Appl Electrochem 38, 1011–1018 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-008-9527-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-008-9527-1

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