Mathematical modeling of solid oxide steam electrolysis (SOSE) cell for hydrogen production

Solid oxide steam electrolysis (SOSE) is a promising method for clean hydrogen production. Compared with experimental investigation, mathematical modeling of SOSE is economically sound and less time-consuming. In this chapter, the important transport and reaction phenomena involved in SOSE operation are discussed. First, the thermodynamic and electrochemical fundamentals of SOSE are reviewed. Then, an electrochemical model is developed to study the current-voltage (J-V) characteristics of an SOSE cell for hydrogen production. The major sources of electrical potential loss in the operation of SOSE are examined and discussed, which include ohmic, activation and concentration overpotentials. In the last section, the coupled mass transfer, momentum transport, energy transport and electrochemical reaction phenomena in a planar SOSE cell are studied with a 2D numerical model. The governing equations are discretized with the finite volume method. The coupling of pressure and velocity is treated with SIMPLEC (Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations - Consistent). The distributions of mass species, temperature and local current density in the operation of an SOSE cell are examined.