Steady state thermal stress analyses of two-dimensional and three-dimensional solid oxide fuel cells
Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Bruce Kang.
Abstract
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert fuels directly into electrical energy without combustion. The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is the most promising energy saving technology to generate electric power. The present work characterizes the thermal stresses arising during the operation of planar solid oxide fuel cells which is a critical factor in the development of an efficient fuel cell. The thermal stresses are calculated from the temperature fields using ANSYS(TM). A sequentially coupled thermal stress analysis approach is implemented for the two-dimensional five stack fuel cell model and a structural analysis for the three-dimensional single stack fuel cell. The stresses due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of the components of the fuel cell, geometry of the model and temperature gradients is presented in the results.
Recommended Citation
Valluru, Srividya, "Steady state thermal stress analyses of two-dimensional and three-dimensional solid oxide fuel cells" (2005). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 1583.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/1583