Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, Vol.38, No.7, 1005-1010, 2008
FEM model of the ohmic resistance of IP-SOFCs
In the present work, the ohmic resistance of an integrated planar-SOFC (IP-SOFC) has been evaluated by developing a model whose equations have been solved numerically through an FEM method. The model allows to estimate the distribution of voltage and current density in the cell. A comparison between simulated and experimental data of area specific resistance is reported, which shows satisfactory agreement. The mathematical model has also been used to carry out some parametric studies for optimisation purposes. Indeed, a reduction in cell pitch length and an increase in electrode thickness are predicted to lead to a reduction in ohmic losses in IP-SOFCs.
Keywords:solid oxide fuel cell;integrated planar solid oxide fuel cell;ohmic resistance;partial differential equation;finite elements method