Investigation Of The Electrical Properties Of Sofc Made From Ni_Ysz Anode, Lsm_Ysz Cathode And Ysz Electrolyte

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cells are an environmentally friendly alternative energy source because of their high efficiency. The purpose of this work was to model the electrical properties of SOFC made from NI_YSZ anode, LSM_YSZ cathode and YSZ electrolyte. Mathematical modeling was employed to investigate the electrical properties of SOFC using MATLAB software based on equations relating the dependent and independent variables. The conductivity of Ni _YSZ anode increases with temperature until it reaches 900K and attains a constant conductivity of nearly 3 x 104 S/cm with further rise in temperature. The conductivity of LSM- YSZ cathode grows slowly at lower temperature and increases almost linearly with further increase in temperature attaining a nearly constant conductivity of 1.3x104 S/cm at 900K. This indicates that the chemical species diffuses at a faster rate at the Ni _YSZ side than at the LSM _YSZ side in order to generate electrical energy. The ionic conductivity of Yttria stabilized zirconia electrolyte is observed when the temperature reaches 800K (10-3 S/cm) which is consistence the experimental value. The power of SOFC is proportional to the current density up to 1A/Cm2 . The cell potential of SOFC made from Ni_YSZ anode, YSZ electrolyte and LSM_YSZ cathode decreases as the current density increases due to Ohmic, activation and concentration over potentials.