Analysis of the Thermal-Electric Performance of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell With a Zigzag Channel Under Different Operating Conditions

In the present study, a strongly coupled three-dimensional thermal-electric-fluid-mass model was developed, and the thermal-electric performance of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a zigzag channel under various operating conditions was analyzed. The results indicated that increasing the operating temperature and the anode inlet Reynolds number could enhance the output power density of the SOFC, whereas the temperature gradient within the SOFC also increased accordingly. The enhancement of these parameters led to an increase in the electrical performance (characterized by power density) of the SOFC while concurrently diminishing its thermal performance (characterized by temperature gradient). Under the same conditions, the SOFC with a zigzag channel exhibited superior electrical performance compared to the SOFC with a conventional parallel channel, albeit with slightly inferior thermal performance. Keeping the flow parameters constant (Re = 1.0) and the temperature maintained at 1123 K, the electrical performance of the SOFC with a zigzag channel was 8.6% higher than that of the SOFC with a parallel channel, whereas the thermal performance was 4.2% lower. Keeping the temperature parameter constant (T = 1073 K) and the anode inlet Reynolds number maintained at 1.7, the output power density of the SOFC with a zigzag channel was 5.9% higher than that of the SOFC with a parallel channel, whereas the temperature uniformity was 2.6% lower. The issue of internal temperature non-uniformity caused by the zigzag channel design of the SOFC could be balanced by adopting the co-flow operation condition. At a working temperature and flow condition of T = 1073 K and Re = 1.0, the thermal performance of the SOFC with a zigzag channel in a co-flow configuration was 5% higher than that in a counter-flow configuration, whereas its electrical performance decreased by only 0.2% compared to the counter-flow configuration.