Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell Modeling: A Review

Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC) is a very good candidate technology for securing sustainable development for the future. It allows CO2 to be recycled into usable fuels and has potential for hydrogen economy. In this work the authors focus on development of SOEC through modeling different aspects of the cell: from design of specific elements to final incorporation of electrolyzers in the global energy system and network. The publications reviewed span from the 1970s to the present day and cover a selection of most contributed works. The selected publications provide means for modeling the solid oxide electrolyzer cell in both steady and transient states. The scale of the models ranges from micro to macro and to global energy system levels. The thrust of this work is to summarize the current level of development in modeling the solid oxide electrolyzer cell and to highlight unresolved problems and provide pointers in terms of research gaps requiring closer attention by engineers and scientists.