Event
MSE Seminar-Prof. Gregory S. Jackson, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, UMD, College Park, MD
Friday, January 30, 2009
1:00 p.m.
Rm. 2108, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Bldg.
Annette Mateus
301 405 5207
amateus@umd.edu
"Fuel Oxidation and Material Challenges in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells"
High-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the potential to operate on carbonaceous fuels either on syngas from coal or hydrocarbon pre-reforming or on direct hydrocarbon feeds. SOFC development for applications ranging from small-scale autonomous systems to large-scale central power plants are ongoing, but stable operation particularly for carbonaceous fuels has challenged SOFC design and promoted research for new electrocatalyst materials and improved anode microarchitectures for operation with hydrocarbons or syngas. A multi-disciplinary team at the University of Maryland (UMD) has been exploring how anode microstructure and materials influence electrochemical oxidation in SOFC anodes. These efforts include the use of micro-fabricated SOFC anodes to isolate key chemical and physical processes for the development of modeling tools to explore SOFC design both at the micro-structural level and the larger system level. Both thin-film patterned Ni and CeO2 electrodes have been studied to unravel fundamental thermokinetic parameters that are needed for modeling SOFC anodes. This presentation will review combined experimental and numerical efforts to understand the complexities of electrochemical oxidation of fuels in SOFC anodes and to translate that understanding into higher-level models for integrated system design and evaluation. These efforts will be placed within the larger context of challenges and opportunities in SOFC research and development. The presentation will end with a broader perspective on SOFCs and where they and other fuel cell technologies may land as our energy and power generation infrastructure hopefully evolves to meet the challenges of sustainability and strained fuel supplies.
