Effects of varying inlet temperature on the performance of a proton solid oxide electrolytic cell

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) can be applied to hydrogen production. The intermittency of the input renewable energy affects the safety of SOECs. This study establishes a multi-physics model of a proton-conducting SOEC (H-SOEC). The model is solved and validated against existing measurements. Based on the numerical solution, the dynamic performance of the H-SOEC under varying inlet temperatures is analyzed and the feasibility of adjusting anode mass flow rates to reduce the effect of varying inlet temperature is also evaluated. The results show that the high rate of inlet temperature rise causes a significant increase in the temperature gradient of the cell. Increasing the anode mass flow rate can help to reduce the maximum temperature gradient in the dynamic process.