Analysis Of Heat Transfer And Transport Processes In Sofcs Involving Internal Reforming Reactions

The heat transfer rates in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are controlled by various operating and design parameters and have significant effects on chemical reactions and coupled transport processes. In this article, the considered composite duct consists of a porous anode layer for the internal reforming reactions of methane, the fuel gas flow duct, and the solid plate. A fully three-dimensional calculation code is employed to analyze heat transfer and combined effects of internal reforming/electrochemical reactions on the coupled transport processes, with the purpose to reveal the importance of various parameters. The results show that the internal reforming reactions are mostly confined within 200-300 mu m into the anode porous layer and almost no methane reaches the triple phase boundary (TPB) after the first 10% of the duct length. The operating temperatures have significant effects on the chemical reactions, fuel gas distribution, and overall performance. This study also evaluated the convective heat transfer in the fuel flow duct, in terms of interface thermal boundary/temperature gradients and convective heat transfer coefficients