Multi-Physics Simulation of the Rolls-Royce Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack
B.A. Haberman (Imperial College London, UK) and A.J. Marquis (Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
Imperial College London)
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) generate electrical power very efficiently from the direct electrochemical oxidation of fuel and are rapidly emerging as an alternative to more conventional power generation technology. Rolls-Royce Fuel Cells Systems are currently developing a mid size 1 MW SOFC power generation unit. A key part of this system is the fuel stack and a computer code has been developed to simulate its behaviour with a high level of detail. Three-dimensional simulation results are presented to illustrate the coupling between physical processes and show how understanding their interaction can lead to improved fuel cell designs.