Monte-Carlo simulation and performance optimization for the cathode microstructure in a solid oxide fuel cell

CFD analysis of a symmetrical planar SOFC with heterogeneous electrode properties

“…Theoretical composite cathode models are developed based on spherical particle stacking, depending upon which cathode microstructure parameters are calculated and cathode polarization performance are explored [9][10][11][12]. Similarly, Asinari et al [13] derived a three-dimensional anode microstructure by regression analysis based on the granulometry law applied to two-dimensional microscopic pictures obtained using electron microscopes.…”

Geometrical modeling of microstructure of solid oxide fuel cell composite electrodes

“…The focus now, is on composite electrodes which are the mixture of electron and ion conductor and on the better understanding of microstructure of composite electrodes to achieve and obtain better overall cell performance. It has been demonstrated both experimentally and through simulation that the microstructure of composite SOFC electrodes has great impact on cell performance [9][10][11][12][13].…”

Towards the 3D Modelling of the Effective Conductivity of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrodes – Validation against experimental measurements and prediction of electrochemical performance

“…The approach depends upon an arbitrary coordination number (the number of contacts a particular particle makes with its neighbouring particles) and primary parameters such as particle radii, volumetric packing density and porosity. Resistor network models [4][5][6][7] have also been used to simulate the electrodes as resistor networks and derive 4 the effective conductivities by applying Kirchhoff"s current conservation law to the equivalent electronic circuits. The resistor network is often drawn from randomly packed electronic and ionic spherical particles in which one particle is essentially represented by one vertex in the resistor network, and each vertex is assigned a resistance to represent a particular phase in an SOFC electrode.…”

“…The conductivities of the materials within one VOF element were simply calculated by multiplying the conductivity of the pure material with its volume fraction in the VOF element. This approximation does not take into account local percolation limitations and the structural complexity within a given VOF element, raising concerns about model accuracy, especially 6 close to the percolation threshold. We therefore improve the quality of the simulations by computing the effective conductivity of VOF elements.…”