An Overview on Heat Transfer and the Evolution of Thermal Stress in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

To reduce carbon emissions, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) transform chemical energy into electricity directly. Nevertheless, since SOFCs operate at very high temperatures (600 C to 1000 C), it can be difficult to provide constant stability in electrical power output. Even more concerning is the fact that the SOFC assembling stack is rigid, making it vulnerable to heat stress, which in turn can cause mechanical deformation and, ultimately, a shorter lifetime for the SOFC system. The life expectancy of a SOFC system can be increased by detecting a consistent temperature gradient all across stack, which reduces the thermal stress distributions across the stack. The research analyses the relationship in between the temperature gradients and thermal stress distributions, generating heat sources, heat transfer mechanisms, and temperature gradients and heat transfers.