Multiphysics Concepts and Foundations for Durability and Accelerated Characterization of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs), durability is often thought of in terms of resistance to mechanical failure, such as cracking of constituents or seals. However, loss of performance due to changes with time and operation history may be driven by changes in porosity, microstructure, chemical constituents, diffusion, transport, or interfacial characteristics. The present paper will examine some of these multiphysics-based degradation modes, and will compare multiphysics modeling with observed changes in SOFC performance. The paper will conclude with a discussion of a multiphysics modeling foundation for considering time- dependent and history dependent performance (especially for cyclic histories) for the purpose of design and as a methodology for accelerated characterization.