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A reliability analysis of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system is presented for applications with strict constant power supply requirements, such as data centers. The purpose is to demonstrate the effect when moving from a module-level to a system-level in terms of reliability, also considering effects during start-up and degradation.

In-house experimental data on a system-level are used to capture the behavior during start-up and normal operation, including drifts of the operation point due to degradation. The system is assumed to allow replacement of stacks during operation, but a minimum number of stacks in operation is needed to avoid complete shutdown. Experimental data are used in conjunction with a physics-based performance model to construct the failure probability function. A dynamic program then solves the optimization problem in terms of time and replacement requirements to minimize the total negative deviation from a given target reliability.

Results show that multi-stack SOFC systems face challenges which are only revealed on a system- and not on a module-level. The main finding is that the reliability of multi-stack SOFC systems is not sufficient to serve as sole power source for critical applications such as data center.

The principal methodology may be applicable to other modular systems which include multiple critical components (of the same kind). These systems comprise other electrochemical systems such as further fuel cell types.

The novelty of this work is the combination of mathematical modeling to solve a real-world problem, rather than assuming idealized input which lead to more benign system conditions. Furthermore, the necessity to use a mathematical model, which captures sufficient physics of the SOFC system as well as stochasticity elements of its environment, is of critical importance. Some simplifications are, however, necessary because the use of a detailed model directly in the dynamic program would have led to a combinatorial explosion of the numerical solution space.

The paper aims to present the innovative design of a planar multilayered high temperature solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which is easy to manufacture, and features high resistance to rapid temperature changes. Temperature resistance was accomplished thanks to easy to heat, thin flat ceramic structure of the cell and elimination of metallic interconnections.

The ceramic fuel cell consists of the anode core made of six to eight layers of nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia tapes (Ni/YSZ) isostatically pressed into a laminate. Two networks of fuel distribution microchannels are engraved on both sides of the anode laminate. The microchannels are subsequently covered with a thin layer of the functional anode tape made of Ni/YSZ and a solid electrolyte tape made of YSZ.

The single planar double-sided ceramic SOFC of dimensions 19 × 60 × 1.2 mm3 provides 3.2 Watts of electric power. The prototype of the battery which consists of four SOFCs provides an output power of > 12 W. Tests show that the stack is resistant to the rapid temperature change. If inserted into a chamber preheated to 800°C, the stack provides the full power within 5 minutes. Multiple cycling does not destroy the stack.

This anode-supported fuel cell structure is provided with thin anode functional layers suspended on a large number of fine beams. The whole anode structure is made with the same ceramic material, so the mechanical stress is minimized during the cell operation.

The purpose of this paper is to describe two‐ and three‐dimensional numerical modelling of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) by employing an accurate and stable fully matrix inversion free finite element algorithm.

A general and detailed mathematical model has been developed for the description of the coupled complex phenomena occurring in fuel cells. A fully matrix inversion free algorithm, based on the artificial compressibility (AC) version of the characteristic‐based split (CBS) scheme and single domain approach have been successfully employed for the accurate and efficient simulation of high temperature SOFCs.

For the first time, a stable fully explicit algorithm has been applied to detailed multi‐dimensional simulation transport phenomena, coupled to chemical and electrochemical reactions, in fluid, porous and solid parts of a SOFC. The accuracy of the present results has been verified via comparison with experimental and numerical data available in the literature.

For the first time, thanks to a stabilization analysis conducted, the AC‐CBS algorithm has been successfully used to numerically solve the generalized model, applied in this paper to describe transport phenomena through free fluid channels and porous electrodes of SOFCs, without the need of further conditions at the fluid‐electrode interface.

The purpose of this study is to develop a simulation method to calculate non-stationary distributions of the chemical potential of oxygen in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) under operation.

The initial-boundary value problem was appropriately formulated and the appropriate boundary conditions were implemented so that the problem of non-stationary behavior of SOFC can be solved in accordance with actual operational and typical experimental conditions. The dependencies of the material properties on the temperature and partial pressure of oxygen were also elaborately introduced to realize actual material responses. The capability of the proposed simulation method was demonstrated under arbitrary operating conditions.

The steady state calculated with the open circuit voltage condition was conformable with the analytical solution. In addition, the transient states of the spatial distributions of potentials and currents under the voltage- and current-controlled conditions were successfully differentiated, even though they eventually became the same steady state. Furthermore, the effects of dense materials assumed for interconnects and current collectors were found to not be influential. It is thus safe to conclude that the proposed method enables us to simulate any type of transient simulations regardless of controlling conditions.

Although only uniaxial models were tested in the numerical examples in this paper, the proposed method is applicable for arbitrary shapes of SOFC cells.

The value of this paper is that adequate numerical simulations by the proposed method properly captured the electrochemical transient transport phenomena in SOFC under various operational conditions, and that the applicability was confirmed by some numerical examples.

This study aims to offer a hybrid stand-alone system for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (CS), an emerging power scheme due to the availability of renewable and environment-friendly energy sources. This paper presents the analysis of a photovoltaic (PV) with an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) algorithm, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a battery storage scheme incorporated for EV CS in a stand-alone mode. In previous studies, either the hydrogen fuel of SOFC or the irradiance is controlled using artificial neural network. These parameters are not controlled simultaneously using an ANFIS-based approach. The ANFIS-based stand-alone hybrid system controlling both the fuel flow of SOFC and the irradiance of PV is discussed in this paper.

The ANFIS algorithm provides an efficient estimation of maximum power (MP) to the nonlinear voltage–current characteristics of a PV, integrated with a direct current–direct current (DC–DC) converter to boost output voltage up to 400 V. The issue of fuel starvation in SOFC due to load transients is also mitigated using an ANFIS-based fuel flow regulator, which robustly provides fuel, i.e. hydrogen per necessity. Furthermore, to ensure uninterrupted power to the CS, PV is integrated with a SOFC array, and a battery storage bank is used as a backup in the current scenario. A power management system efficiently shares power among the aforesaid sources.

A comprehensive simulation test bed for a stand-alone power system (PV cells and SOFC) is developed in MATLAB/Simulink. The adaptability and robustness of the proposed control paradigm are investigated through simulation results in a stand-alone hybrid power system test bed.

The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the ANFIS algorithm in a stand-alone hybrid power system scheme.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a robust mathematical model and finite element‐based numerical approach to solve solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) problems.

A robust mathematical model is constructed by studying pros and cons of different SOFC and other fuel cell models. The finite element‐based numerical approach presented is a unified approach to solve multi‐disciplinary aspects arising from SOFC problems. The characteristic‐based split approach employed here is an efficient way of solving various flow, heat and mass transfer regimes in SOFCs.

The results presented show that both the model and numerical algorithm proposed are robust. Furthermore, the approaches proposed are general and can be easily extended to other similar problems of practical interest.

The model proposed is the first of this kind and the unified approach for solving flow, heat and mass transfer within a fuel cell is also novel.

The aim of this paper is to investigate performance improvements of a monolithic solid oxide fuel cell geometry through an entropy generation analysis.

The analysis of entropy generation rates makes it possible to identify the phenomena that cause the main irreversibilities in the fuel cell, to understand their causes and to propose changes in the design and operation of the system. The various contributions to entropy generation are analyzed separately in order to identify which geometrical parameters should be considered as the independent variables in the optimization procedure. The local entropy generation rates are obtained through 3D numerical calculations, which account for the heat, mass, momentum, species and current transport. The system is then optimized in order to minimize the overall entropy generation and increase efficiency.

In the optimized geometry, the power density is increased by about 10 per cent compared to typical designs. In addition, a 20 per cent reduction in the fuel cell volume can be achieved with less than a 1 per cent reduction in the power density with respect to the optimal design.

The physical model is based on a simple composition of the reactants, which also implies that no chemical reactions (water gas shift, methane steam reforming, etc.) take place in the fuel cell. Nevertheless, the entire procedure could be applied in the case of different gas compositions.

Entropy generation analysis allows one to identify the geometrical parameters that are expected to play important roles in the optimization process and thus to reduce the free independent variables that have to be considered. This information may also be used for design improvement purposes.

In this paper, entropy generation analysis is used for a multi‐physics problem that involves various irreversible terms, with the double use of this physical quantity: as a guide to select the most relevant design geometrical quantities to be modified and as objective function to be minimized in the optimization process.

This study aims to improve the oxidation resistance of SS304 stainless steel by fabrication of Mn–Co–Ni-coated layer. Mn–Co–Ni coating with the thickness ranging from 1.76 to 8.50 micron were prepared by electroplating process on SS304 stainless steel, focusing on the plating time which play significant roles on the performance of the film thickness and crystallize size.

Mn–Co–Ni coating layer was applied on AISI 304 stainless steel using electroplating process with solution consisted of cobalt sulfate (CoSO₄), manganese sulfate (MnSO₄) and nickel sulfate (NiSO₄). Variation of Mn–Co–Ni coating, the morphology of the film and oxidation kinetics were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, the sample with coating layer was tested by oxidation and Cr evaporation test.

From the formation parameter due to plating time for the conversion coating, it was found that plating time plays significant roles in the performance of the coating thickness and crystallize size. The crystallize size has an inverse relation to the full width at half maximum of diffraction peak. Film thickness higher than 6.07 micron causes a decrease in oxidation resistance and an increase of Cr evaporation from SS304 stainless steel. In this study, the Mn–Co–Ni coating with a thickness lower than 3.77 micron showed coating protection of oxidation better than SS304 substrate.

The effect of coating thickness was investigated to understand the properties of the coating. Furthermore, oxidation and Cr evaporation test were applied to evaluate the oxidation resistance of the coating layer.

The purpose of this work is to present the strategies and current state of development in the field of micro solid oxide fuel cells (μSOFC).

In the paper recent strategies of conventional and single chamber μSOFC are described. Some examples based on the author's research are presented.

It can be concluded that scale down of ceramic technologies is still more popular than MEMS. However, MEMS‐based technologies become recently to be used more frequently.

The work is limited to the description of materials and technologies used in μSOFC.

The review presents very recent research in μSOFC. The results demonstrate critical areas in development of suitable technologies.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of the gas turbine cycle integrated with solid oxide fuel cell technology. In the present work, intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell has been considered, as it is economical, can attain an activation temperature in a quick time, and also have a longer life compared to a high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, which helps in the commercialization and can generate two ways of electricity as a hybrid configuration.

The conceptualized cycle has been analyzed with the help of computer code developed in MATLAB with the help of governing equations. In this work, the focus is on the performance investigation of a Gas turbine intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell hybrid cycle. The work also analyzes the performance behavior of the proposed cycle with various design and operating parameters.

It is found that the power generation efficiency of the IT-SOFC-GT hybrid system reaches up to 60% (LHV) for specific design and operating conditions. The cycle calculations of an IT-SOFC-GT hybrid system and its conceptual design have been presented in this work.

The unique feature of this work is that IT-SOFC has been adopted for integration instead of HT-SOFC, and this work also provides the performance behavior of the hybrid system with varying design and operating parameters, which is the novelty of this work. This work has significant scientific merit, as the cost involved for the commercialization of IT-SOFC is comparatively lower than HT-SOFC and provides a good option to energy manufacturers for generating clean energy at a low cost.