Performance Analysis of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells for Syngas Production

There is a significant effect from operating parameters on solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) performance. The object of this research is to simulate the complex phenomena inside a planar SOEC in order to identify the best operating conditions. The model involves an intermediate fidelity of the electrochemical and thermo-fluid phenomena inside the cell. An example of the model validation for an electrolyte supported SOEC is presented here. The model is then employed to investigate various parameters such as temperature, fuel composition, flow rates and H-2/CO ratio related to SOEC performance as well as hydrogen and syngas production. It has been observed that the reversible water-gas-shift (rWGS) reaction plays an important rule inside the fuel channels. Although the operating temperature, fuel composition and flow rates have direct effect on SOEC performance and power consumption, their influence on rWGS is more significant.