The effect of parallel-discrete rib structures on the performance of plate solid oxide fuel cell

The efficiency of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) depends largely on the distributing qualities of flows over the electrode surface and the reactant concentrations and electrochemical reactions within over the electrolyte surface. The Interconnector (IC) is a key component for determining these distributions. In this paper, the three-dimensional electrochemical & multiphysics coupling models are developed to investigate the effect of different IC designs on the performance of SOFCs. The results show that the SOFC reactant distribution uniformity using parallel-discrete rhombic ribs is improved by 67.51 %, the peak power density can be increased by up to 40.02 %, and the electrical performance is improved by up to 41.16 % compared to the conventional parallel ribs. In addition, SOFCs designed using parallel-discrete rhombic ribs and parallel-discrete rectangular ribs had similar results in terms of distribution and performance.