Modeling the Electrochemistry of an SOFC through the Electrodes and Electrolyte

This paper describes a distributed electrochemistry model of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes and electrolyte. The distributed electrochemistry (DEC) model solves the transport, reactions, and electric potential through the thickness of the SOFC electrodes. The DEC model allows the local conditions within the electrodes to be studied and allows for a better understanding of how electrochemical and microstructural parameters affect the SOFC performance. In this paper the governing equations and implementation of the DEC model are presented along with several case studies which are used to investigate the sensitivity of the SOFC performance to the microstructural and electrochemical parameters of the cathode and to explore methods of improving the electrochemical performance of the SOFC cathode.