Performance Degradation Prediction of a Low-Temperature SOFC via Impedance Spectroscopy and CFD Modelling

The on-going EU-funded project New all-European high-performance stack: design for mass production (NELLHI) foresees the manufacturing and validation of SOFC stacks produced by Elcogen, seeking a substantial increase in electrical performance and cost reduction of individual stack components. The present work encompasses the immediate performance characterisation of a first generation LSC-based SOFC single cell by means of polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the distribution relaxation times (DRT) method and equivalent circuit modelling (ECM). Besides, an endurance performance characterisation based on the FCTES^QA testing protocols along with EIS measurements, the aforementioned ECM and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling theory has enabled to generate a time-dependent model capable of predicting performance degradation of the single cell when operating under predetermined conditions.