Effects of Current Collector on Internal Visualization of Solid Oxide Cells

Abstract

Visualization of reactions occurring inside a solid oxide cell (SOC) during operation is difficult due to the limitation of the operatable temperature to use various sensors and measurement equipment. Therefore, we are investigating a visualization method to combine three-dimensional simulation with in-operando temperature observation inside SOCs. In this study, we focused on evaluating the effect of a current collector shape on the cell performance and temperature distribution. As a result, we confirmed that the effects of several current collector shape modifications appeared in the temperature distribution. Based on the calculated temperature and current density distributions, we proposed an appropriate current collector shape for observing the temperature distribution inside the cell by experiment. Using the practical observation setup model considered in this study, the influence of sulfur poisoning on the temperature distribution was also calculated and evaluated.