Common inconsistencies in modeling gas transport in porous electrodes: The dusty-gas model and the Fick law

Abstract

The paper shows as two assumptions typically made in modeling gas transport in solid oxide fuel cell electrodes, i.e., a) uniform pressure in the dusty-gas model, and b) validity of the Bosanquet formula in the Fick model, may lead to serious inconsistencies (such as molar fractions that do not sum up to one or fluxes that do not obey reaction stoichiometry), thus nullifying the efforts of the mechanistic modeling of transport phenomena. The nature of the inconsistent use of the models is explained with clear examples, then the correct implementation of the gas transport models is discussed. The study aims to promote a coherent physically-based modeling of gas transport phenomena in porous electrodes in order to assist their rational design.