Thermal management of Ammonia-fed Solid oxide fuel cells using a novel alternate flow interconnector

Abstract

Ammonia is a promising fuel for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) as it is carbon-free and easy to store at high volumetric energy densities. However, the endothermic decomposition of ammonia in an SOFC stack significantly reduces the temperature at the entrance of the fuel flow, leading to temperature shock and nitriding. Designing a suitable interconnector for the stack to obtain a flatter temperature distribution is an efficient strategy to overcome this problem. This article proposes a novel interconnector design using an alternate flow concept for both fuel and air. A three-dimensional SOFC model was used for the thermal investigation of the proposed design under different operating conditions, including temperature, current, and fuel utilization. The results indicated that the alternate flow design exhibited a 40% lower temperature difference and up to 53 K higher average temperature than a typical cross-flow design. In addition to a flatter temperature profile, the proposed design exhibited a higher ammonia conversion rate than the conventional design, demonstrating its promise for use in robust and efficient ammonia-fed SOFC stacks.