Experimental investigation of temperature distribution over a planar solid oxide fuel cell

Temperature distribution over a Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) surface is a crucial parameter for design of a SOFC stack. The selection of both materials and the operating point of a stack is heavily affected by temperature gradient. Temperature distribution can also be used for control and monitoring purposes. An experimental set-up consisting of a cross flow type stack of six cells was built to measure the temperature distribution in different current densities and in two oven temperatures. Five thermocouples were inserted inside the middle cell to measure temperatures in four corners and in the middle of the cell. Voltage was also measured for different cells using platinum wires. Low fuel utilization (meaning low current density) and high excess air caused maximum temperature at the fuel inlet-air outlet corner. Higher oven temperature caused more uniform temperature distribution, while increasing the current density resulted in higher temperature gradient over the cell surface. This paper provides measurement data and analysis of the results from the test runs.