Seminar Overview
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the chemical energy
of a reaction directly into electrical energy. Of the many types of fuel
cells currently under development, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) show
particular promise as components in highly efficient stationary power
generation systems. This web-based seminar will familiarize you with solid
oxide fuel cells, explain why the US government is investing heavily in
SOFC technology, and show how you can take advantage of new computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling tools to improve fuel cell component designs
and optimize system performance.
In collaboration with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
of the US Department of Energy, Fluent Inc. has developed new CFD tools,
which enable modeling of SOFC. A solid oxide fuel cell consists of an
ion-conducting, impermeable electrolyte layer, bounded by porous anode
and cathode layers, flow channels and current collecting regions. Therefore,
an SOFC model must take into account:
- Fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer in porous anode and cathode
layers
- Electrochemical reactions
- Current transport and potential field in porous anode, cathode, and
solid conducting regions
Details on all of these models will be provided during the seminar. Results
of model validation against experimental data will also be shown.
Who should attend?
- Engineering directors at power generation companies
- Engineering managers with responsibility for fuel cell R&D
- Fuel cell researchers and development engineers
- Anyone who is interested in future directions in auto industry and
auxiliary power generation technologies
Agenda
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1.
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Greetings/Introductions
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Fluent
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- Goals for this presentation
- Introduction of speakers
- Seminar logistics
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2.
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Introduction to SOFC technology
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NETL
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- What are solid oxide fuel cells?
- Why will SOFC be important in future power generation systems?
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3.
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DOE/NETL SOFC program
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NETL
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- What is the government doing to support development of SOFC
technology?
- What is the status of SOFC research and development?
How are the key physical models implemented in the code?
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4.
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NETL SOFC model
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NETL
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- What is CFD and what are its benefits?
- How can CFD be used to model SOFC?
- How are the key physical models implemented in the code?
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5.
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Fluent SOFC roadmap
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Fluent
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- What further technical improvements are planned for the SOFC
model?
- What is required to simulate a fuel cell stack, as opposed
to a channel?
- What methods are used to validate Fluent models?
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6.
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NETL Model Validation Program
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NETL
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- What experimental data are available for validation studies?
- How well does the model match the experiments?
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7.
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Q&A summary
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Fluent
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- Summary of questions received on-line during the seminar
- Answers to selected frequently-asked questions
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8.
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Conclusions
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Fluent
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To register visit http://fluent.com/direct/fuelcell_webinars/cfdonline
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