A zero-dimensional, non-isothermal analytical framework was developed to assess solidoxide fuel cell (SOFC) performance across a broad range of operating conditions. The modelintegrates the anode, electrolyte, interlayers, and cathode, while resolving the distinctphysicochemical processes within each layer. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), followed by distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis, was implemented toprobe relevant cell polarization resistances under open-circuit and load conditions. Themodeling framework couples mass and charge transport, electrochemical reactions, andnon-isothermal heat transfer, with multilayer discretization applied to capture localizedmaterial properties and operating conditions. It enables the estimation of electrolyte ionicconductivity and total ohmic resistance by accounting for microstructural and geometricparameters, while also quantifying activation energies, exchange current densities, andgas-diffusion-related polarization resistances. Simulations were conducted for an SOFCoperating on pure hydrogen with varying oxygen concentrations at 700 °C, 660 °C, 620 °C,and 580 °C. The results were validated against experimental data. The analysis revealed thatohmic overpotential dominates total cell losses, even at high current densities, underscoringthe importance of minimizing ionic resistance to improve overall SOFC performance.
Salehian et al. (Mon,) studied this question.