Thermo-chemo-mechanical analysis of protonic ceramic electrolysis cell: A statistically-designed numerical study

This study presents a thermo-chemo-mechanical analysis of a 2D tubular Protonic Ceramic Electrolysis Cell (PCEC). The mechanical model considers both thermal and chemical expansion. To provide a more comprehensive understanding, the mechanical model considers both thermal and chemical expansion which is an important phenomenon in the electrolyte material of PCECs. Crucially, this study proposes a framework that integrates a Multiphysics model and the Design of Experiments method to enable statistically-designed numerical studies of PCECs. The effects of five structural parameters and four operating parameters on the mechanical behaviour of PCECs are systematically investigated. The chemical expansion is important to be considered in the mechanical model, since it shows that the consideration of chemical expansion leads to a higher stress level in PCECs, accounting for more than 25% of the total stress at 600 °C. The study reveals that the chemical expansion is primarily influenced by cathode porosity and electrolyte thickness, whereas total stress level is mainly affected by cathode porosity current density and operating temperature. The proposed framework also generates interpretable surrogate models with good prediction performance, which can be applied in future optimization work. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering chemical expansion in PCEC mechanical analysis and offers a systematic approach for numerical investigations.