Multi-Physics Modeling Assisted Design of Non-Coking Anode for Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Fueled by Low Steam Methane

Internal reformation of low steam methane fuel is highly beneficial for improving the energy efficiency and reducing the system complexity and cost of solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs).However,anode coking for the Ni-based anode should be prevented before the technology becomes a reality.A multi-physics fully coupled model is employed to simulate the operations of SOFCs fueled by low steam methane.The multi-physics model produces I-V relations that are in excellent agreement with the experimental results.The multi-physics model and the experimental non-coking current density deduced kinetic carbon activity criterion are used to examine the effect of operating parameters and the anode diffusion barrier layer on the propensity of carbon deposition.The interplays among the fuel utilization ratio,current generation,thickness of the barrier layer and the cell operating voltage are revealed.It is demonstrated that a barrier layer of 400μm thickness is an optimal and safe anode design to achieve high power density and non-coking operations.The anode structure design can be very useful for the development of high efficiency and low cost SOFC technology.

Flue gas analysis for biomass and coal co‑fring in fuidized bed:process simulation and validation

Coal-conversion technologies,although used ubiquitously,are often discredited due to high pollutant emissions,thereby emphasizing a dire need to optimize the combustion process.The co-fring of coal/biomass in a fuidized bed reactor has been an efcient way to optimize the pollutants emission.Herein,a new model has been designed in Aspen Plus®to simultaneously include detailed reaction kinetics,volatile compositions,tar combustion,and hydrodynamics of the reactor.Validation of the process model was done with variations in the fuel including high-sulfur Spanish lignite,high-ash Ekibastuz coal,wood pellets,and locally collected municipal solid waste(MSW)and the temperature ranging from 1073 to 1223 K.The composition of the exhaust gases,namely,CO/CO_(2)/NO/SO_(2)were determined from the model to be within 2%of the experimental observations.Co-combustion of local MSW with Ekibastuz coal had fue gas composition ranging from 1000 to 5000 ppm of CO,16.2%–17.2%of CO_(2),200–550 ppm of NO,and 130–210 ppm of SO_(2).A sensitivity analysis on co-fring of local biomass and Ekibastuz coal demonstrated the optimal operating temperature for fuidized bed reactor at 1148 K with the recommended biomass-to-coal ratio is 1/4,leading to minimum emissions of CO,NO,and SO_(2).

System Validation Tests for an SOFC Power System at INER

This research presents the results of system validation tests for an SOFC power system. In the study, the system was heated up without electric device, i.e., the fuel providing the required thermal energy through an integrated BOP （balance of plant）. The ex-situ experiments, without an SOFC stack installed in the system, were fast conducted to investigate the operability of a BOP apparatus. It was found that the BOP possessed high conversion rates for both steam reforming and water gas shift reactions. The total fuel concentration of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the reformer was around 91.2%. The system validation tests showed that, with the natural gas as fuel, the output power from the stack reached to 1,060 W, while the fuel utilization efficiency and electrical efficiency were 67.16% and 45.0%, respectively. A steady 600-hour system operation test was carried out at an average system temperature of 694℃. Of which, a 36-cell stack was employed for the test. Meanwhile, the current, voltage and output power were 26 A, 32.3 V and 840 W, respectively, and its electrical efficiency was around 33.4%.

Analysis of Heat and Mass Transfer for a Single-Planar-Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Considering Internal Reforming

The temperature uniformity and component concentration distributions in solid oxide fuel cells during operating processes can influence the cell electrochemical and thermal characteristics.A three-dimensional thermal-fluid numerical model including electrochemical reactions and water-gas-shift(WGS)reaction for a single channel solid oxide fuel cell was developed to study the steady-state characteristics,which include distributions of the temperature(T),temperature gradient((35)T/(35)x),and fuel utilization.It was shown that the maximum temperature(Tmax)changed with operating voltage and the maximum temperature gradient(((35)T/(35)x)max)occurred at the inlet of the channel of a solid oxide fuel cell by simulation.Moreover,the natural convection condition had a great influence on T and(35)T/(35)x.The thermal stress generated by temperature differences was the key parameter and increasing the convection heat-transfer coefficient can greatly reduce the thermal stress.In addition,the results also showed that there were lower temperature gradients and lower current density at high working voltage;therefore,choosing the proper operating voltage can obtain better cell performance.