Continuum scale modelling and complementary experimentation of solid oxide cells

Continuum Modeling of Porous Electrodes for Electrochemical Synthesis

“…We note that there is interest in application of high-temperature systems (e.g., solid oxide cells) for electrosynthesis, and while some of the phenomena governing the operation of such systems are similar to those pertaining to IEM systems, many are different. Thus, a detailed description of modeling high-temperature systems is beyond the scope of this review, and the readers are referred to other recent modeling reviews of these systems. − Our approach will be to review the IEM and fuel-cell literature and compare it with current electrochemical synthesis models to identify gaps and overlap. Moreover, we highlight reasonable simplifications that can be made to reduce the computational cost of electrochemical synthesis models.…”

A multiscale model validated on local current measurements for understanding the solid oxide cells performances

“…A porous Nickel and Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (Ni-YSZ) cermet is typically used for the fuel electrode, while the air electrode is composed of a Mixed Ionic and Electronic Conductor (MIEC). Nowadays the most common material for the air electrode is a composite of Lanthanum Strontium Cobalt Ferrite (La x Sr 1-x Co y Fe 1-y O 3-δ -LSCF) and Gadolinium-doped Ceria (Gd x Ce 1-x O 2-δ -CGO) [3], [7], [8]. The electrolyte is a pure ionic conductor, which allows the migration of oxygen vacancies , and it is usually made of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia with 8.mol% of yttria (8YSZ) [9].…”

“…In general, the electrochemical characterization techniques (e.g. polarization curves and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)) are used to measure the global cell response without any information on the spatial distributions arising in the electrodes [7]. Hence, current inhomogeneities that are associated with locally-critical conditions are not detected.…”

“…It consists in the segmentation of the air electrode into small disconnected zones, which are electronically isolated from each other. For this purpose, the electrode layer is printed over the entire surface of the electrolyte in insulated segments, allowing the measurements in distinct areas of the cell [7], [20].…”

A novel multi-physics coupled heterogeneous single-cell numerical model for solid oxide fuel cell based on 3D microstructure reconstructions

“…Even the operation method, such as impedance spectrum averaging in the cell region, cannot describe the local phenomenon. 29 The establishment of a 3D heterogeneous model is thus necessary if detailed physicochemical information introduced by the real complex 3D microstructure is considered. [30][31][32] The development of 3D microstructure reconstruction techniques, such as focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), makes it possible to quantitatively investigate the relationships between real microstructures and physicochemical parameters through the numerical simulation method.…”