PROGRESS IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE ELECTROLYSIS FOR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION USING PLANAR SOFC TECHNOLOGY
A research program is under way at the Idaho National Laboratory to assess the performance of solid-oxide cells operating in the steam electrolysis mode for hydrogen production over a temperature range of 800 to 900ºC. The research program includes both experimental and modeling activities. Selected results from both activities are presented in this paper. Experimental results were obtained from a ten-cell planar electrolysis stack, fabricated by Ceramatec , Inc. The electrolysis cells are electrolyte-supported, with scandia-stabilized zirconia electrolytes (~140 µm thick), nickel-cermet steam/hydrogen electrodes, and manganite air-side electrodes. The metallic interconnect plates are fabricated from ferritic stainless steel. The experiments were performed over a range of steam inlet mole fractions (0.1 - 0.6), gas flow rates (1000 - 4000 sccm), and current densities (0 to 0.38 A/cm2). Hydrogen production rates up to 90 Normal liters per hour were demonstrated. Stack performance is shown to be dependent on inlet steam flow rate. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was also created to model high-temperature steam electrolysis in a planar solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC). The model represents a single cell as it would exist in the experimental electrolysis stack. Mass, momentum, energy, and species conservation and transport are provided via the core features of the commercial CFD code FLUENT1. A solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) model adds the electrochemical reactions and loss mechanisms and computation of the electric field throughout the cell. The FLUENT SOFC user-defined subroutine was modified for this work to allow for operation in the SOEC mode. Model results provide detailed profiles of temperature, Nernst potential, operating potential, anode-side gas composition, cathode-side gas composition, current density and hydrogen production over a range of stack operating conditions. Mean model results are shown to compare favorably with the experimental results obtained from the ten-cell stack tested at INL.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 911090
- Report Number(s):
- INL/CON-05-00078; TRN: US200724%%460
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: AIChE 2005 Spring National Meeting,Atlanta, GA,04/10/2005,04/14/2005
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
25 - ENERGY STORAGE
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CURRENT DENSITY
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYSIS
ELECTROLYTES
FLOW RATE
FLUID MECHANICS
GAS FLOW
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
INTERSTITIAL HYDROGEN GENERATION
OXIDES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS
STAINLESS STEELS
STEAM
high-temperature electrolysis
hydrogen