Experimental and Analytical Study of an Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

A zero-dimensional, non-isothermal analytical framework was developed to assess solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) performance across a broad range of operating conditions. The model integrates the anode, electrolyte, interlayers, and cathode, while resolving the distinct physicochemical processes within each layer. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), followed by distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis, was implemented to probe relevant cell polarization resistances under open-circuit and load conditions. The modeling framework couples mass and charge transport, electrochemical reactions, and non-isothermal heat transfer, with multilayer discretization applied to capture localized material properties and operating conditions. It enables the estimation of electrolyte ionic conductivity and total ohmic resistance by accounting for microstructural and geometric parameters, while also quantifying activation energies, exchange current densities, and gas-diffusion-related polarization resistances. Simulations were conducted for an SOFC operating on pure hydrogen with varying oxygen concentrations at 700 °C, 660 °C, 620 °C, and 580 °C. The results were validated against experimental data. The analysis revealed that ohmic overpotential dominates total cell losses, even at high current densities, underscoring the importance of minimizing ionic resistance to improve overall SOFC performance.