Multiscale multiphysics modeling of ammonia-fueled solid oxide fuel cell: Effects of temperature and pre-cracking on reliability and performance of stack and system

Arash Nemati, Omid Babaie Rizvandi, Rafael Nogueira Nakashima, Javid Beyrami and Henrik Lund Frandsen

Applied Energy, 2024, vol. 373, issue C, No S0306261924012960

Abstract: Ammonia is a promising carbon-free fuel for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). However, direct feeding of ammonia into the SOFC may lead to serious degradation due to the nitriding. Conversely, the pre-cracking of ammonia introduces complexity to the system design and causes increased power losses in the system. Therefore, it is crucial to explore all these aspects simultaneously. In this context, this study introduces a novel multiscale modeling approach by integrating a 3D multiphysics simulation of the ammonia-fueled SOFC stack with system-level modeling to investigate the reliability and performance of the stack and system. Two different cell technologies developed for low temperature (LT) and high temperature (HT) operation are investigated at LT (600 – 700°C) and HT (700 – 800°C) ranges. The results indicate that fuel inlet temperature should be 55°C and 18°C higher than the minimum temperature in 0% pre-cracking case for HT and LT cases, respectively. The increase in the required air flow rate for cooling in the 100% pre-cracking case compared to the 0% pre-cracking case is around 100% and 216% for the HT and LT cases, respectively. However, stack power production and power losses in the system components are comparable for LT and HT cases which leads to similar system performance. A larger share of the active area is affected by nitriding in LT cases than HT ones. However, a smaller cracking ratio at LT (∼ 82%) compared to HT conditions (∼ 92%) is needed for elimination of nitriding. While the LT and HT cases are comparable in terms of system power production, the lower stack outlet temperatures in LT cases require novel and more expensive catalysts for ammonia pre-cracking and HT cases need more expensive steels.

Keywords: Solid oxide fuel cell stack; Ammonia fuel; Operating temperature; Ammonia pre-cracking; Nitriding; System modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123913

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