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Micro‐modeling of porous composite anodes for solid oxide fuel cells
Author(s) -
Farhad Siamak,
Hamdullahpur Feridun
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.12689
Subject(s) - anode , materials science , porosity , solid oxide fuel cell , composite number , electrochemistry , oxide , microstructure , chemical engineering , composite material , metallurgy , chemistry , electrode , engineering
A new anode micromodel for solid oxide fuel cells to predict the electrochemical performance of hydrocarbon‐fuelled porous composite anodes with various microstructures is developed. In this model, the random packing sphere method is used to estimate the anode microstructural properties, and the complex interdependency among the multicomponent mass transport, electron and ion transports, and electrochemical and chemical reactions is taken into account. As a case study, a porous Ni–YSZ composite anode operated with biogas fuel is simulated numerically and distributions of the current density, polarization, and mole fraction and rate of flux of the fuel components along the thickness of the anode are determined. The effect of the anode microstructural variables including the porosity, thickness, particle‐size ratio, and particle size and volume fraction of Ni particles on the anode electrochemical performance is also studied. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1893–1906, 2012