Solid-oxide fuel-cell performance

Two models were developed to describe the performance of solid oxide fuel cells: (1) a cell model which calculates cell performance for various conditions of temperature, current density, and gas composition, and (2) a systems model which performs detailed heat and mass balances around each component in a power plant. The cell model provides insight into the performance tradeoffs in cell design. Further, the cell model provides the basis for predicting fuel cell performance in a power plant environment as necessary for the systems code. Using these two tools, analysis of an atmospheric pressure, natural gas fueled, internally reforming power plant confirms the simplicity and increased efficiency of a solid oxide fuel cell system compared to existing plants.