Thermodynamic Modeling of a Tubular High-Temperature Steam Electrolyzer Cell

Abstract

High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) is a promising method for highly efficient large-scale hydrogen production. In our study, a theoretical model was developed to describe the evolution of the electrochemical reaction along a tubular cell of a High-Temperature Steam Electrolyzer. The model is based on the Nernst relation with classical sources of voltage loss. The developed model allows the evolution of the current density to be calculated along the tubular cell thanks to a fine longitudinal discrimination of the cylinder. The results show that the current density, and so the heat production, decreases along the tubular cell. The temperature of gaseous species along the cylinder is evaluated as well as hydrogen and oxygen production and steam consumption. Therefore, thickness, porosity, tortuosity and pore radius size of the electrodes are considered. At last, iterating the model for different voltages give the entire current-voltage curve (J-V), characteristic of the cell. Parametric analyses are finally performed to determine the effect of materials properties and operating parameters.