Three-Dimensional Modeling and Performance Study of High Temperature Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell with Metal Foam

Abstract

Optimizing the flow field of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) has a significant effect on improving performance. In this study, the effect of metal foam in high temperature SOEC electrolysis steam is investigated by a three-dimensional model. The simulation results show that the SOEC performance is improved by using metal foam as a gas flow field. The steam conversion rate of the SOEC increases from 72.21% to 76.18% and the diffusion flux of steam increases from 2.3 × 10−4 kg/(m2∙s) to 2.5 × 10−4 kg/(m2∙s) at 10,000 A/m2. In addition, the permeability, temperature, steam mole fraction, and gas utilization are investigated to understand the effect of the improved performance of the SOEC with metal foam. The results of this study provide a baseline for the optimal design of SOECs with metal foam.