Physics field distributions within fuel cell stacks with manifolds penetrating through the plane zone and open outlet features

作者：Chen, Daifen^*; Ding, Kai; Chen, Zhenyu; Wei, Tao; Liu, Kun

来源：Energy Conversion and Management, 2018, 178: 190-199.

DOI：10.1016/j.enconman.2018.10.034

• Solid oxide fuel cell stack
• 3D multi-physics simulation
• Distinct structural features
• Flow, species and temperature distribution regularity

To achieve high volumetric power density, some fuel cell stacks are designed to place fuel/air manifolds within (and penetrate through) the cell plane zone and adopt open outlet manifold. In this paper, a 3D large scale multi physics model of a whole 18-cell stack with the above two structural features is first completed by carefully coupling momentum, mass, energy and quasi electrochemical equations. Then, the generic distribution regularity of the main physics items, which depends on the above two structural features rather than any specific design and parameters, are reported. The result shows that the air flow rate fed to cell unit monotonously increases with increasing cell number as long as the open outlet of air flow path is adopted. Only 0.41 times the average air flow rate fed to each cell unit can pass through the 1st cell layer; and its value will greatly reduce when the stack scale increases. Placing manifolds within cell plane zone causes complex air/fuel flow distributions over the electrode surface; and adopting cross flow arrangement pattern can relieve the local temperature rising risk. The highest stack temperature appears around the crossing corner of both air and fuel flow exhaust headers in the 1st cell layer.

• 出版日期2018-12-15
• 单位江苏科技大学