Mathematical modelling of the transport phenomena and the chemical/electrochemical reactions in solid oxide fuel cells: a review

The activity in the field of SOFC modelling activities has been increasing steadily over the last decade. A vast range of models exist today, varying in complexity and in the number of assumptions employed. These range from detailed models on individual components to entire stack models. One-, two-, and three- dimensional, as well as parametric models have been developed for several different geometries. Some of the models use empirical data like heat transfer coefficients while others use CFD to give a full-field solution. The goal of this paper is to highlight the major modelling accomplishments by presenting the state-of-the art in SOFC modelling. More importantly, the paper will identify the areas where further improvements are required. In the past, the emphasis in a majority of the models has been either on the transport processes or on the electrochemical processes. This paper intends to show by properly incorporating both aspects, the physico-electro-chemical processes occurring in a SOFC can be described more accurately. The areas where improvements can be made are numerous, but the most important developments must be based on an understanding of the detailed electrochemical reaction mechanism and by accounting for the complex transport processes occurring in the porous media at the micro-scale level. (author)