A review on recent status and challenges of yttria stabilized zirconia modification to lowering the temperature of solid oxide fuel cells operation

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are an electrochemical energy converter that receives the world's attention as a power generation system of the future owing to its flexibility to consume various types of fuels, low emission of greenhouses gases, and having high efficiency reaching over 70%. A conventional SOFCs operates at high temperature, typically ranges between 800 to 1000°C. SOFCs use yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the electrolyte, which exhibits excellent oxide ion conductivity in this temperature range. However, this temperature range poses an issue to SOFCs durability, as it leads to the degradation of the cell components. In addition, SOFCs application is limited and difficult to implement for the transportation sector and portable appliance. A viable solution is to lower the SOFCs operating temperature to intermediate (600 to 800°C) or low (<600°C) operating temperature. The benefit of this way, cell durability will improve, as well as other advantages such as facilitates handling, assembling, dismantling, cost reduction, and expanded the SOFCs application. Nonetheless, the key challenge for the issue is finding suitable electrolyte, as YSZ have lower ionic conductivity at low and intermediate temperature range. The aim of this paper is to review the status and challenges in the attempts made to modify YSZ electrolyte within the past decade. The resulting ionic conductivity, microstructure, and densification, mechanical and thermal properties of these 'new' electrolytes critically reviewed. The targeted conductivity of modification of YSZ electrolyte must be exceeded >0.1 S cm^–1 to enable high performance of SOFCs power generation systems to be realized for transportation and portable applications. Based on our knowledge, this paper is the first review which focused on the recent status and challenges of YSZ electrolyte towards lowering the operating temperature.     

Syngas and hydrogen production via stepwise methane reforming over Cu‐ferrite/YSZ

This report investigates the effect of an yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) supported Cu‐ferrite for the production of syngas and hydrogen via stepwise methane reforming and water splitting reactions. The Cu‐ferrite/YSZ samples were prepared by co‐precipitation and impregnation methods. The samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy and non‐isothermal hydrogen reduction. To investigate syngas and hydrogen production reactivities, isothermal methane reforming and water splitting reactions were performed at 900 °C and 700 °C, respectively. For Cu‐ferrite/YSZ prepared by impregnation, methane conversion was maintained at high levels of ca. 85% and an H₂/CO ratio close to 2 was observed. A lower methane conversion (>30%) was observed for Cu‐ferrite/YSZ prepared by co‐precipitation. No significant deposited carbon and aggregation of Cu‐ferrite/YSZ (prepared by impregnation) were observed over 10 repeated methane reforming and water splitting reactions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design and fabrication of stair‐step‐type electrolyte structure for solid oxide fuel cells

The design and the fabrication of novel stair‐step electrolyte based on yttria stabilized zirconia are presented. The novel electrolyte has gradually reduced oxide ion transport paths achieved by the stair‐step design. The mechanical and electrochemical performance of the novel electrolyte are investigated and compared to those of standard electrolyte support. Three‐point bending tests indicate that the fracture displacement and force measured for the novel electrolyte are 11% and 32% less than those of the standard electrolyte support, respectively. However, the cell based on the novel electrolyte exhibits 40% higher electrochemical performance than the standard electrolyte supported cell at an operation temperature of 700 °C. Impedance analyses revealed that the enhanced cell performance is mainly due to the decrease in the ohmic resistance of the cell achieved by the novel electrolyte design. In addition, the electrode resistances are found to be decreased due to the increased electrochemical reaction zones since the contact area between the novel electrolyte and both electrodes are increased by the novel electrolyte design. Moreover, the cell with novel electrolyte produced 0.47 Wcm^?2 peak power at 750 °C while the standard electrolyte supported cell shows almost the same power output at around 800 °C. Thus, novel designed electrolyte also offers some amount of reduction in the operation temperature of solid oxide fuel cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Startup characteristics of a vertically placed high‐temperature heat pipe fin

In order to observe startup characteristics, a vertically installed high‐temperature heat pipe fin was tested. The temperature curves during the startup process are given. It was found that the evaporator bottom temperature in the high‐temperature heat pipe fin with a constant heat input increased very quickly over time. The temperature at the evaporator top and the condenser temperature lagged behind the temperature of the evaporator bottom. The evaporator outlet temperature coincided with the condenser middle temperature. The temperature at the end of the condenser exhibited a phenomenon of temperature pulsation. If the high‐temperature heat pipe fin was placed horizontally for a certain period of time and then tested in its vertical position, the temperature pulsation phenomenon at the condenser disappeared and a good isothermal condition emerged. Further analysis showed that larger heat inputs yielded faster startups and weaker pulsation during the startup period. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(6): 411–416, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20022     

Micro-spectroscopic study of the degradation of scandia and ceria stabilized zirconia electrolytes in solid oxide electrolysis cells

Degradation is one of the main limitations of Solid Oxide Electrolysers (SOEs) which has been frequently related to the reduction of the electrolyte at the fuel electrode side and also to anomalous high values of oxygen chemical potential, μ_O2, within the electrolyte near to the oxygen electrode side. In the present work we have studied the variation of the electrolyte reduction state across the electrolyte thickness using spectroscopic techniques when the cell is operated under electrolysis mode. The experiments have been performed in two different 10Sc1CeSZ (10 mol% of Sc₂O₃ and 1 mol% of CeO₂ doped zirconia) electrolyte-based cells before and after electrolysis operation up to voltages of 2.8 and 1.8 V, respectively. Spatially resolved vibrational and Ce³⁺ electronic micro-Raman spectroscopy and Er³⁺ luminescence spectroscopy provides information about the structural changes and defect state along the electrolyte thickness. Whereas the cell remains unaltered when operating at voltages below 1.8 V, degradation was observed for the cell operated at voltages over 2 V, and the degradation is also increasing with the operation time. Different transformations in the 10Sc1CeSZ electrolyte have been observed. Crystalline structure change from cubic to rhombohedral, firstly appearing at the region near the Ni-YSZ electrode, was detected. The structure change has been further corroborated by XRD studies. The reduction of the electrolyte, as evidenced by the presence of Ce³⁺, was clearly observed in the electronic micro-Raman spectra. Inhibition of Er³⁺ luminescence has been associated to the presence of oxygen vacancy defects resulting from zirconia reduction. The profile of the defect distribution and structure change shows that in a thin electrolyte layer of less than 20 μm adjacent to the oxygen electrode the electrolyte remains unaltered.     

Convective‐radiative fins with simultaneous variation of thermal conductivity,heat transfer coefficient,and surface emissivity with temperature

This paper is a numerical study of thermal performance of a convective‐radiative fin with simultaneous variation of thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficient, and surface emissivity with temperature. The convective heat transfer is assumed to be a power function of the local temperature between the fin and the ambient which allows simulation of different convection mechanisms such as natural convection (laminar and turbulent), boiling, etc. The thermal conductivity and the surface emissivity are treated as linear functions of the local temperature between the fin and the ambient which provide a satisfactory representation of the thermal property variations of most fin materials. The thermal performance is governed by seven parameters, namely, convection–conduction parameter Nc, radiation–conduction parameter Nr, thermal conductivity parameter A, emissivity parameter B, the exponent n associated with convective heat transfer coefficient, and the two temperature ratios, θ_a and θ_s, that characterize the temperatures of convection and radiation sinks. The effect of these parameters on the temperature distribution and fin heat transfer rate are illustrated and the results interpreted in physical terms. Compared with the constant properties model, the fin heat transfer rate can be underestimated or overestimated considerably depending on the values of the governing parameters. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20408     

A study on latent heat storage exchangers with the high‐temperature phase‐change material

This paper presents a theoretical analysis and an experimental test on a shell‐and‐tube latent heat storage exchanger. The heat exchanger is used to recover high‐temperature waste heat from industrial furnaces and off‐peak electricity. It can also be integrated into a renewable energy system as an energy storage component. A mathematical model describing the unsteady freezing problem coupled with forced convection is solved numerically to predict the performance of the heat exchanger. It provides the basis for an optimum design of the heat exchanger. The experimental study on the heat exchanger is carried out under various operating conditions. Effects of various parameters, such as the inlet temperature, the mass flow rate, the thickness of the phase‐change material and the length of the pipes, on the heat transfer performance of the unit are discussed combined with theoretical prediction. The criterion for analyzing and evaluating the performance of heat exchanger is also proposed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental research of high‐temperature regenerative heat transfer

A small‐scale high‐temperature air combustion experimental system was set up. The effects of the switching period on the heat transfer characteristics of a regenerator were discussed, and an optimal switching period was suggested. The temperature distribution in the combustion chamber was analyzed and the emission of NO_X and CO with the operational parameters was summarized. The decomposability of CF₄ was primarily studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 35(5): 359–368, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20118     

High‐temperature latent heat storage technology to utilize exergy of solar heat and industrial exhaust heat

Latent heat storage (LHS) using phase change materials is quite attractive for utilization of the exergy of solar energy and industrial exhaust heat because of its high‐heat storage capacity, heat storage and supply at constant temperature, and repeatable utilization without degradation. In this article, general LHS technology is outlined, and then recent advances in the uses of LHS for high‐temperature applications (over 100 °C) are discussed, with respect to each type of phase change material (e.g., sugar alcohol, molten salt, and alloy). The prospects of future LHS systems are discussed from a principle of exergy recuperation. In addition, the technologies to minimize exergy loss in the future LHS system are discussed on the basis of the thermodynamic analysis by ‘thermodynamic compass’. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of alternative refrigerants in liquid phase with a transient short‐hot‐wire method

A transient short‐hot‐wire method has been proposed to simultaneously measure the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of liquids. The method has been applied to the refrigerant HCFC‐22, alternative refrigerants HFC‐32, HFC‐125, HFC‐134a and refrigerant mixtures HFC‐32/125 [35/65, 50/50 (HFC‐410A), 68/32 wt%], HFC‐32/125/134a [23/25/52 (HFC‐407C) wt%]. From the present study, it is shown that the measured results agree well with the literature values on thermal conductivity and those on thermal diffusivity obtained from NIST's thermophysical property database, REFPROP Ver. 6.0. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(8): 540–552, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20032     

Inter‐particle contact heat transfer model: an extension to soils at elevated temperatures

A simple ‘inter‐particle contact heat transfer’ model for predicting effective thermal conductivity of soils at moderate temperatures (0–30°C) has been extended up to 90°C. The extended model accounts for latent heat transport by water vapour diffusion in soil air above the permanent wilting point; below that point, the soil thermal conductivity is approximated by linear interpolation without latent heat effect. By and large the best results are obtained when the latent heat is used only in the ‘self consistent approximation’ model with an overall root mean square error of 35% for all soils under consideration or 26% when excluding volcanic soils. This option can also be applied to moderate temperatures at which the enhanced heat transfer is negligibly small. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A study on the integration of micro‐reformer and high‐ temperature PEM fuel cell

This study presented an integration platform for a methanol reformer and high‐temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The methanol micro‐reformer was combined with the catalytic reaction section and reforming section, whereas the catalytic reaction section with Pt catalysis maintained the constant temperature environment for a reforming process. SRM reforming results showed that 74 to 74.9% hydrogen and 23.5 to 25.7% of carbon dioxide in the mixture product, and less than 2% of carbon monoxide, was produced. Using the reforming product of low carbon monoxide concentration and the highest methanol conversion rate, a micro reformer link with a fuel cell integration experiment was performed. Results showed a high temperature PEMFC with 3 to 4 W power output under methanol flow rates of 15 ml/hr. Due to the lower hydrogen pressure supplied from the micro reformer, the fuel cell power output may become unstable. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20322     

Techno‐economic comparison of boiler cold‐end flue gas heat recovery processes for efficient hard‐coal‐fired power generation

An important method to increase the efficiency of thermal power plants is to recover the exhaust gas heat at the boiler cold‐end with the stepwise integration of a steam turbine heat regenerative system. To this end, there are currently three typical heat recovery processes, that is, a low‐temperature economizer (LTE), segmented air heating (SAH) and bypass flue (BPF). To provide useful guidance to thermal power plants for optimal and efficient processes, the thermal economy and techno‐economic performance of the three aforementioned processes were calculated and compared using an in‐service 600‐MW hard‐coal‐fired ultra‐supercritical power unit as a reference. The results demonstrate that with the use of the LTE, SAH and BPF, respectively, to recover the exhaust heat, reducing the exhaust temperature from 122 °C to 90 °C, the net standard coal consumption rate of the 600‐MW unit can be reduced by 1.51, 1.71 and 2.81 g/(kW h). The initial costs of the three heat recovery projects are 1.69, 2.91 and 2.53 million USD. If the 600‐MW unit runs 5500 h per year at the rated load, the three processes can increase the earnings of the unit by 0.49, 0.52 and 0.94 million USD from coal savings annually, meaning that their dynamic payback periods are 4.42, 8.66 and 3.29 years, respectively. The results indicate that for a hard‐coal‐fired power unit, the coal savings achieved by exhaust heat recovery are notable. Among the three processes, SAH shows the worst techno‐economic performance because it induces a significant increase in initial costs while obtaining a limited increase in thermal economy, while BPF exhibits the best techno‐economic performance owing to the significant increase in thermal economy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cell and stack‐level study of steady‐state and transient behaviour of temperature uniformity of open‐cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The steady‐state temperature uniformity and thermal transients of open‐cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) at cell and stack level are researched experimentally in this study. The local temperatures are obtained by 30 thermocouples contacting the surfaces of cathode gas diffusion layers (GDL). The s temperature homogeneity under different load currents and air flow rates are investigated. The results reveal that the fluctuation of temperature distribution under different currents is small under the lowest air flow rate set in the experiments. Comparatively, the temperature is less uniform when the load current is higher under other air flow rates. The evaluation indicator, temperature uniformity index (TUI), varies nearly linearly with the current. And the maximum variation is 55.6% to 59.0%. This distinct behaviour is probably related to the existence of liquid water and its nonuniform distribution which can enlarge the temperature difference at high current. With respect to thermal transients, there is rapid deterioration in temperature uniformity when the load current is stepped up. It may arise from the uneven liquid water distribution which can lead to different temperature variation rates. Further, the research gives direction for optimization of cooling strategy and thermal management of open‐cathode PEMFC stack in application.     

Investigation on thermal management performance of wedge‐shaped microchannels for rectangular Li‐ion batteries

The performance of power battery is a significant factor affecting the overall quality of electric vehicles. To optimize the thermal management effect of battery pack, cold plate with wedge‐shaped microchannels was proposed in this paper. On the basis of the models of the independent cold plate and the battery‐cooling module, the effects of outlet aspect ratio, flow rate, and branching structure on the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate were studied at first. Afterwards, the effects of cooling surface, flow rate, and branching structure on the temperature distribution of the battery module were simulated. The results showed that the wedge‐shaped channels provided a good cooling efficiency and surface temperature uniformity. When the wedge‐shaped channel was used in thermal management of the battery module, the side‐cooling method reduced the temperature difference of batteries by more than 35.71% compared with front cooling under the mass flow rate of 2 × 10^?5 kg/s. At a discharge rate of 3.5 C, the flow rate of 1 × 10^?4 kg/s controlled the battery temperature to within 45°C, and the branching structure designed for the module successfully decreased the maximum temperature difference from 7.27°C to 4.67°C, which has been reduced by approximately 35.78%.     

NS88—180型小型高温网带式炉

本文介绍小型高温网带炉的结构、特点,以及以4Cr13为材料的卡尺尺杆的淬火、1Cr18Ni9 Ti材的固溶处理的工艺试验。     

Thermodynamic analysis of double‐stage biomass fired Organic Rankine Cycle for micro‐cogeneration

A biomass fired double‐stage Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for micro‐cogeneration is studied. Focus is laid on optimizing thermal efficiency in summer mode by appropriate working fluid and pressure level selection. Simulation and thermodynamic analysis show that in double‐stage ORC, the working fluid in the low‐temperature circuit (LTC) effects total efficiency more than the working fluid in the high‐temperature circuit (HTC). Within the chosen boundary conditions, isopentane gives best thermal efficiency, whereas R227ea is the least efficient in the LTC. Among the working fluids for the HTC, maximum total efficiency is similar for several working fluids. Simulations demonstrate that a prediction of thermal efficiencies with respect to physico‐chemical characteristics of different working fluids is only feasible within certain chemical classes. In the HTC, low critical temperature, low molar mass, and high critical pressure increase the efficiency, whereas in the LTC, condensation pressure is most crucial for high efficiency. Constructional analysis indicate that in the majority of cases, an increase in thermal efficiency is connected with high‐volume flow rates at the outlet of the turbine, which leads to voluminous expansion units and high investment costs, respectively. Appropriate working fluid combinations within a double‐stage ORC reach total efficiencies of up to 35% at flue gas temperatures from 950 to 150 °C. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance of passive heat removal by an air‐cooling panel from a high‐temperature gas‐cooled reactor

An experiment was performed to simulate an air‐cooling panel system for passive decay heat removal from a high‐temperature gas‐cooled reactor to investigate the performance of decay heat removal and the temperature distributions of components of the system. The experimental apparatus consisted of a pressure vessel 1 m wide and 3 m high. Nineteen simulated standpipes containing heaters with a maximum heating rate of 100 kW simulated residual heat of the core, and the cooling panels surrounded the pressure vessel. An analytical code (THANPACST2) was applied to the experimental data to investigate the validity of the analytical method and the model proposed. Under the conditions of helium gas at a pressure of 0.64 MPa and temperature of 514 °C in the pressure vessel, the predicted temperature distribution in the pressure vessel was estimated and was within ?10 to +50 °C as compared to the experimental data. The analysis indicated that the heat transferred to the cooling panel was 15.4% less than the experimental value. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 31(8): 665–677, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10061     

Medium‐ and high‐temperature latent heat thermal energy storage: Material database,system review,and corrosivity assessment

Latent heat thermal energy storage refers to the storage and recovery of the latent heat during the melting/solidification process of a phase change material (PCM). Among various PCMs, medium‐ and high‐temperature candidates are attractive due to their high energy storage densities and the potentials in achieving high round trip efficiency. Although a few review studies on high‐temperature PCMs have emerged in the past few years, the quantity, completeness, and accuracy of the presented data are relatively poor. Also, an efficient indexing methodology for retrieving useful PCM data is missing in the open literature. In this article, we created an up‐to‐date PCM database following a holistic review of the PCMs in medium‐ and high‐temperature applications over a temperature range of 100°C to 1680°C. Such effort then allows us to develop an accurate indexing tool for the fast selection of suitable PCM candidates and extraction of the related property data. More specifically, the created PCM database covers 496 entries of PCM materials, which are extracted from the scattered research works published during the year 1956 to 2017. The collected information includes both the basic thermo‐physical properties of PCMs (eg, melting temperature, heat of fusion, and thermal conductivity) and crucial design factors during construction and engineering phases (eg, energy storage density, volume expansion, liquid/solid densities, and cost). The reviewed PCMs comprise a wide variety of materials, including fluorides, chlorides, hydrates, nitrates, carbonates, metals and alloys, and other uncommon compounds and salts. In addition, the current work presents a brief review on high‐temperature latent heat thermal energy storage systems categorized into metallic and non‐metallic systems. The corrosivity and stability of PCMs, which are commonly ignored in previous studies, are also examined.     

Thermal performance of the exhausting and the semi‐exhausting triple‐glazed airflow windows

The thermal performance of the airflow window systems was studied numerically using the finite‐volume method. Effort was directed towards the reduction in space cooling load for the exhausting and the semi‐exhausting triple‐glazed airflow windows. The effects of various parameters such as exhausting airflow rate, solar insolation, and aspect ratio were presented. Some qualitative and quantitative comparisons between two systems were made. It was disclosed that the space‐heat gain was considerably reduced by increasing the exhausting airflow rate, and the decrease in the space‐heat gain of the semi‐exhausting airflow window was larger than that of the exhausting airflow window by about 10 W throughout most of the Re range (except the range of near Re = 0) of this numerical work. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.