Effects of Composite Electrode Structure on Performance of Intermediate-Temperature Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell

Zaiguo Fu (), Zijing Wang, Yongwei Li, Jingfa Li, Yan Shao, Qunzhi Zhu and Peifen Weng ()
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Zaiguo Fu: College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China
Zijing Wang: College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China
Yongwei Li: College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China
Jingfa Li: School of Mechanical Engineering and Hydrogen Energy Research Centre, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
Yan Shao: College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China
Qunzhi Zhu: College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China
Peifen Weng: College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: The composite electrode structure plays an important role in the optimization of performance of the intermediate-temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell (IT-SOEC). However, the structural influence of the composite electrode on the performance of IT-SOEC is not clear. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional macroscale model coupled with the mesoscale model based on percolation theory. We describe the electrode structure on a mesoscopic scale, looking at the electrochemical reactions, flow, and mass transport inside an IT-SOEC unit with a composite electrode. The accuracy of this multi-scale model was verified by two groups of experimental data. We investigated the effects of operating pressure, volume fraction of the electrode phase, and particle diameter in the composite electrode on electrolysis reaction rate, overpotential, convection/diffusion flux, and hydrogen mole fraction. The results showed that the variation in the volume fraction of the electrode phase had opposite effects on the electrochemical reaction rate and multi-component diffusion inside the composite electrode. Meanwhile, an optimal range of 0.8–1 for the particle diameter ratio was favorable for hydrogen production. The analysis of IT-SOEC with composite electrodes using this multi-scale model enables the subsequent optimization of cell performance and composite electrode structure.

Keywords: SOEC; porous media; composite electrode; multiphysics modeling; multiscale modeling; multi-component diffusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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