In this paper a 1-D steady-state model of a planar cylindrical Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is described. The SOFC 1-D model developed has been applied for both co-flow and counter-flow configurations. The computational domain selected is a symmetrical single cell slice with an angle of twenty degrees (i.e. one eighteen of the entire cell). The cell has been divided into computational units in the radial direction, for each of them energy, mass and electrochemical conservation equations have been solved. The cell is considered non-adiabatic with heat conduction inside the solid material and convective-radiative heat transfer mechanism between the outer section and the surrounding gases. Moreover, at the cell outlet the residual fuel mixes with the surrounding gases and is completely burnt (afterburning).
The 1-D model has been verified making use of literature data generated from 3-D model of a planar cylindrical SOFC. The results obtained confirmed the good performance of the model developed and its applicability in a computational framework for the development of either control or diagnosis algorithm.
