Modeling of thermal stresses and lifetime prediction of planar solid oxide fuel cell under thermal cycling conditions

A typical operating temperature of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is above 600 °C, which leads to severe thermal stresses caused by the difference in material mechanical properties during thermal cycling. Interfacial shear stress and peeling stress are the two types of thermal stresses that can cause the mechanical failure of the SOFC. Two commonly used SOFC configurations (electrolyte-supported and anode-supported) were considered for this study. The paper developed a mathematical model to estimate the thermal stresses and to predict the lifetime of the cell (Ni/8YSZ-YSZ-LSM). Due to the mismatch of the material mechanical properties of the cell layers, a crack nucleation induced by thermal stresses can be predicted by the crack damage growth rate and the initial damage distribution in the interfacial layer for each thermal cycle. It was found that the interfacial shear stress and peeling stress were more concentrated near the electrode free edge areas. The number of cycles needed for failure decreased with the increase in the porosity of electrode. The number of cycle for failure decreased with increase in electrolyte thickness for both anode- and electrolyte-supported SOFC. The model provides insight into the distribution of interfacial shear stress and peeling stress and can also predict damage evolution in a localized damage area in different SOFC configurations.     

Fatigue Analysis on Thermal Characteristics for PBGA by Using Finite Element Method

The stress and strain of Plastic Ball Grid Array (PBGA) is investigated for reliability evaluation, failure analysis, or manufacturing. A one-eighth model is built to estimate the thermal stress and strain of PBGA under thermal cycling temperature (0°C–100°C). The different 3D elements such as Visco107 and Solid45 were selected for modeling of material 37Sn63Pb and Print Circuit Board (PCB), silicon die, substrate, and Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC), respectively. The results show that the maximum equivalent stress and equivalent plastic strain occur in the second outer solder joint and close to the position of chip. The key solder joint can be obtained and the key node of solder joint is 41402. The results indicate that the integrating 3D model can provide a more comprehensive profile for the thermal investigation of the PBGA package than from using any 2D model. The investigation provides a basis for improving reliability of PBGA product in engineering design.     

Phase-field modeling of crack growth and mitigation in solid oxide cells

Fracture and crack growth is one of the main degradation mechanisms in solid oxide cells (SOCs). However, the modeling of crack growth in SOCs is challenging due to their complex microstructures and possible plasticity development within the Ni particles in Ni-based SOC electrodes. In this study, a phase-field fracture model is developed, which incorporates the SOC microstructures and phase-dependent material properties, including yield strength, fracture toughness in the bulk and at the interphase boundaries. The model is employed to study crack initiation and growth under thermal and redox cycling on the hydrogen electrode side of SOCs. The simulation results demonstrate that under thermal cycling, work-zone cracking dominates in electrolyte-supported SOCs with cracks initiated at the triple-phase boundaries, while only minor mechanical degradation occurs in hydrogen-electrode-supported SOCs after hundreds of thermal cycles. Under redox cycling, through-cracking of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in the hydrogen electrode and electrolyte layers dominates. The simulation results suggest several crack-mitigation strategies, including decreasing the porosity in the hydrogen electrode support layer and synchronizing thermal strain to balance oxidation strain.     

Influence of coupling of overcharge state and short-term cycle on the mechanical integrity behavior of 18650 Li-ion batteries subject to lateral compression

The study on the mechanism of failure and thermal runaway of lithium-ion battery (LIB) induced by mechanical deformation has received considerable attention. LIBs connected in series are easily overcharged in practical applications. However, the influence of overcharging on the mechanical response of LIBs remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the lateral compression performance of cylindrical batteries before and after short-term cycles at various overcharge states. The onset of short circuits in compression tests for all the batteries before and after cycling at 4.2 and 4.3 V occurred at their modulus peaks, while that of the batteries after cycling at 4.4 and 4.5 V occurred at either the modulus fluctuation points or the first major modulus peaks. Thermal runaway accidents occurred on the batteries at all overcharge states after the short circuits were triggered. Moreover, thermal runaway would occur on the batteries charged at 4.2–4.4 V, when their anode tabs are located in the compression area. The thermal runaway risks of the test batteries would reach 100% when the voltages of these batteries exceeded 4.4 V. Results obtained by using a thermal camera revealed that the highest surface temperatures of all the batteries without thermal runaway were lower than 85 °C during the compression processes, whereas those of the batteries with thermal runaway were between 200 °C and 600 °C. Further analysis of the data indicated that the batteries before and after cycling at high overcharge voltages failed at minimal moduli and stresses, and this trend became obvious with the cycling of batteries.     

Mechanical reliability and durability of SOFC stacks. Part II: Modelling of mechanical failures during ageing and cycling

Intricate relationships between mechanical and electrochemical degradation aspects likely affect the durability of solid oxide fuel cell stacks. This study presents a modelling framework that combines thermo-electrochemical models including degradation and a contact thermo-mechanical model that considers rate-independent plasticity and creep of the components materials and the shrinkage of the nickel-based anode during thermal cycling. This Part II investigates separately or together the contributions of mechanical and electrochemical degradation on the behaviour during long-term operation and thermal cycling.     

3-D elastic-plastic finite element analysis of interface cracks under mixed mode load

A three-dimensional finite element computation was performed for a throughedge cracked bimaterial steel specimen under mixed mode loadings in which the crack was lying on an interface between an elastic-plastic material and a perfectly rigid substratum. In order to take account of the average effect of microvoid nucleation and growth in the deformation, the modified Gurson's constitutive equation suggested by Tvergaard and Needleman was used. It was found that due to the interaction between the singularity along the crack front and that along the interface on the specimen surface, the distributions of stresses, plastic deformations, J-integral and void volume fraction in a bimaterial specimen were significantly different from those in a homogeneous specimen. Based on the numerical results on the distributions of void volume fraction and J-integral, the locations of fracture initiation in bimaterial and homogeneous specimens under mixed mode loadings are discussed.     

Controlled degradation of highly compacted sodium alanate pellets

Compaction of sodium alanate doped with 3 mol% titanium chloride (TiCl₃) into rigid cylindrical pellets improves thermal conductivity, density and volumetric hydrogen capacity of a traditionally poorly conductive material. However, hydrogen cycling of alanate pellets results in significant expansion which counteracts the advantages of compaction. Restricting the area in which pellets can expand into minimizes these losses with no adverse effect to cycling capacity. Confined pellets had a 50% less decrease in density over 30 cycles, 5 times greater thermal conductivity within 10 cycles and maintain structural integrity through 50 cycles compared to free pellets. In addition, pellets within mechanical confinement fused into a rigid stack within the first few hydrogen cycles thereby reducing surface contact resistance between pellets by 3.5 times. Improved thermal conductivity and heat transfer through a pellet bed of materials such as complex metal hydrides, is a key aspect for on-board storage applications.     

The study on ductile fracture of the over-matched weldment with mechanical heterogeneity

The ductile fracture of structural steel including weldment can be described as a progressive process with void nucleation, growth and coalescence. The effects of mechanical heterogeneity of the weldment were investigated experimentally on the ductile fracture behaviors of the base metal and the weld metal using round-bar tensile notched bars. The results show that the mechanical heterogeneity of weldment has certain effects on fracture strain, stress triaxiality at fracture, critical void growth and the material constant C. The smaller the distance between the notch root and the fusion line, the larger the fracture stain, the smaller the stress triaxiality and the larger the critical void growth rate.     

Simulation of thermal stresses in anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell stacks. Part II: Loss of gas-tightness, electrical contact and thermal buckling

Structural stability issues in planar solid oxide fuel cells arise from the mismatch between the coefficients of thermal expansion of the components. The stress state at operating temperature is the superposition of several contributions, which differ depending on the component. First, the cells accumulate residual stresses due to the sintering phase during the manufacturing process. Further, the load applied during assembly of the stack to ensure electric contact and flatten the cells prevents a completely stress-free expansion of each component during the heat-up. Finally, thermal gradients cause additional stresses in operation.The temperature profile generated by a thermo-electrochemical model implemented in an equation-oriented process modelling tool (gPROMS) was imported into finite-element software (ABAQUS) to calculate the distribution of stress and contact pressure on all components of a standard solid oxide fuel cell repeat unit.The different layers of the cell in exception of the cathode, i.e. anode, electrolyte and compensating layer were considered in the analysis to account for the cell curvature. Both steady-state and dynamic simulations were performed, with an emphasis on the cycling of the electrical load. The study includes two different types of cell, operation under both thermal partial oxidation and internal steam-methane reforming and two different initial thicknesses of the air and fuel compressive sealing gaskets.The results generated by the models are presented in two papers: Part I focuses on cell cracking. In the present paper, Part II, the occurrences of loss of gas-tightness in the compressive gaskets and/or electrical contact in the gas diffusion layer were identified. In addition, the dependence on temperature of both coefficients of thermal expansion and Young's modulus of the metallic interconnect (MIC) were implemented in the finite-element model to compute the plastic deformation, while the possibilities of thermal buckling were analysed in a dedicated and separate model.The value of the minimum stable thickness of the MIC is large, even though significantly affected by the operating conditions. This phenomenon prevents any unconsidered decrease of the thickness to reduce the thermal inertia of the stack. Thermal gradients and the shape of the temperature profile during operation induce significant decreases of the contact pressure on the gaskets near the fuel manifold, at the inlet or outlet, depending on the flow configuration. On the contrary, the electrical contact was ensured independently of the operating point and history, even though plastic strain developed in the gas diffusion layer.     

Fabrication and performance evaluation of electrolyte-combined α-LiAlO2 matrices for molten carbonate fuel cells

To improve the unit cell performance and stability, molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) matrices were fabricated using synthetic α-LiAlO₂ powder and they showed mechanical and microstructural stability under thermal cycle tests. The pure α-LiAlO₂ matrix demonstrated stability with high open-circuit voltage (OCV) and maximum power density during many thermal cycle tests (more than 15 repetitions). Furthermore, to minimize the change in stack height during stack start-up and to improve mechanical and microstructural stabilities of the matrix, the electrolyte-combined α-LiAlO₂ matrix was optimized by controlling the mixing ratio of synthetic α-LiAlO₂ and Li/K carbonate powders. The suitable electrolyte content was fixed at approximately 50 vol.% for the homogeneously filled pores of the pure α-LiAlO₂ matrix. These matrices showed good microstructural stability during five thermal cycle tests in an air atmosphere at 923 K and with improved unit cell performance (0.127 W cm⁻²) under MCFC operating conditions.In unit cell and thermal cycling tests, the optimized matrices were stable through more than 20 repetitions.     

Effect of internal void placement on the heat transfer performance – Encapsulated phase change material for energy storage

The effect of an internal air void on the heat transfer phenomenon within encapsulated phase change material (EPCM) is examined. Heat transfer simulations are conducted on a two dimensional cylindrical capsule using sodium nitrate as the high temperature phase change material (PCM). The effects of thermal expansion of the PCM and the buoyancy driven convection within the fluid media are considered in the present thermal analysis. The melting time of three different initial locations of an internal 20% air void within the EPCM capsule are compared. Latent heat is stored within an EPCM capsule, in addition to sensible heat storage. In general, the solid/liquid interface propagates radially inward during the melting process. The shape of the solid liquid interface as well as the rate at which it moves is affected by the location of the internal air void. The case of an initial void located at the center of the EPCM capsule has the highest heat transfer rate and thus fastest melting time. An EPCM capsule with a void located at the top has the longest melting time. Since the inclusion of a void space is necessary to accommodate the thermal expansion of a PCM upon melting, understanding its effect on the heat transfer within an EPCM capsule is necessary.     

Sealing force prediction of elastomeric seal material for PEM fuel cell under temperature cycling

This paper is to study the sealing force of elastomeric seal material used for PEM fuel cell under temperature cycling. Stress relaxation and thermal stress of liquid Silicone rubber (LSR) seal material under temperature cycling is discussed. It is found that thermal expansion or contraction is the major contributor to the compressive stress developed in the LSR seal. The classical Maxwell model including the time-temperature shift can predict stress relaxation at a given temperature, but fail in calculation of thermal stress when there is temperature change. Experimental data show that material stiffness increased if the material had been aged at a higher temperature. This change of material stiffness was quantified experimentally and included in a modified Maxwell equation. The modified model appears to predict the sealing force accurately. A temperature profile was then used to demonstrate the sealing force development during startup, operation and shutdown periods of a PEMFC stack. Similar analysis can be applied to other polymeric materials under temperature variation which exhibit stress relaxation and material aging.     

Use of La2O3 with 8YSZ as thermal barrier coating and its effect on thermal cycle behavior,microstructure, mechanical properties and performance of diesel engine operated by hydrogen-algae biodiesel blend

In this present work, the effect of lanthanum oxides (La₂O₃) on the thermal cycle behavior of TBC coatings and mechanical properties such as adhesion strength and microhardness of 8% Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (8YSZ) TBCs were investigated. CoNiCrAlY and aluminium alloy (Al–13%Si) were used as bond coat and substrate materials. 8YSZ and different wt % of La₂O₃ (10, 20, and 30%) top coatings were applied using the atmospheric plasma spray (APS) method. The thermal cycling test for TBC coated samples were conducted at 800 °C in the electric furnace. The XRD pattern shows that the La₂O₃ doped 8YSZ material transformed to cubic pyrochloric structured La₂Zr₂O₇ during thermal cycling. Further, the Taguchi-based grey relation analysis (GRA) method was applied to optimize the TBC coating parameters to achieve better mechanical properties such as adhesion strength and microhardness. And the optimized La₂O₃/8YSZ TBC coating was coated on CRDI engine combustion chamber components. The engine was tested with microalgae biodiesel and hydrogen, and the results were promising for the TBC-coated engine. The engine performance increased while using La₂O₃/8YSZ coated components, and the emissions from engine exhaust gas such as CO, HC, and smoke reduced considerably. It was found that there was no separation crack and spallation of the coating layer in the microstructure. Ultimately, the microstructural analysis of the optimized TBC coated piston sample after 50 h of running in the diesel engine confirmed that the developed coating had a superior thermal insulation effect and longer life.     

Temperature and strain monitor of COPV by buckypaper and MXene sensor combined flexible printed circuit

Pressure vessels are always under different hazards such as leaking, fracturing, and unknown deformation. In this work, the novel micro-nano sensors were introduced based on flexible printed circuit (FPC). The temperature cycling and hydraulic pressure cycling experiments were carried out. This kind of combined sensor can be embedded and arranged between inner tank and fiber layer without any defect. The experimental results show the new sensor can detect not only thermal strain, but also elastic deformation and plastic deformation caused by pressure. Also can reflect the yield limit of COPV, which can ensure the safety of manufacture.     

B＆W 6L60MCE柴油机气缸套非稳态热应力分析

建立过渡工况(起动、停车)气缸套非稳态热应力分析模型以及反映过渡工况特点的边界条件数学模型。对过渡工况下的传热和热应力以及工作循环中的温度波、波动热应力和脉动机械应力的计算结果进行了重点分析。从而对气缸套非稳态热应力做出正确的分析。表明非稳态热应力和脉动机械应力对材料引起的疲劳破坏是气缸套失效的主要原因。     

Preparation,characterization and thermal properties of PMMA/n-heptadecane microcapsules as novel solid–liquid microPCM for thermal energy storage

This study is focused on the preparation, characterization and thermal properties of microencapsulated n-heptadecane with polymethylmethacrylate shell. The PMMA/heptadecane microcapsules were synthesized as novel solid–liquid microencapsulated phase change material (microPCMs) by emulsion polymerization method. The chemical and thermal characterization of the microPCMs were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The diameters of microPCMs were found in the narrow range (0.14–0.40 μm) under the stirring speed of 2000 rpm. The spherical surfaces of microPCMs were smooth and compact. The DSC results show that microPCMs have good energy storage capacity. Thermal cycling test showed that the microPCMs have good thermal reliability with respect to the changes in their thermal properties after repeated 5000 thermal cycling. TGA analyses also indicated that the microPCMs degraded in three steps and have good thermal stability. Based on all results, it can be considered that the PMMA/heptadecane microcapsules as novel solid–liquid microPCMs have good energy storage potential.     

空穴分布对固液相变蓄热过程的影响

建立了微重力下相变蓄热容器的仿真计算模型,根据蓄热容器内凝固过程的仿真结果建立了更加符合实际的空穴分布模型,对相变蓄热过程进行了仿真计算。对比分析了该文空穴模型与忽略空穴、简单空穴模型对应的仿真结果,证明空穴分布形式对于蓄热容器内的相变蓄热过程的显著影响。通过建立更加真实的空穴分布模型提高了相变蓄热过程仿真计算的准确性,对蓄热容器的设计改进具有积极的指导意义。     

Understanding thermal and redox cycling behaviors of flat-tube solid oxide fuel cells

The performance stability of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) under thermal and redox cycles is vital for large-scale applications. In this work, we investigated the effects of thermal and redox cycles on cell performances of flat-tube Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) anode-supported SOFCs. Cell performance was considerably affected by the duration of oxidation during redox cycles and the heating rate during the thermal cycles. The cell tolerated 20 short-term redox cycles (5 min oxidation) without significant performance degradation. Besides, the cell exhibited superior stability during 8 thermal cycles with a slow heating rate (4 °C min⁻¹) to that with a fast heating rate (8 °C min⁻¹). These results reflected that the thick anode support (2.7 mm) offered strong resistance to the shocks caused by redox and thermal cycling. Moreover, the morphological changes of the Ni phase during the redox and thermal cycling were investigated using Ni-film anode cells. Agglomeration of Ni particles and dissociation between the Ni film and the YSZ substrate were confirmed after 5 redox cycles, whereas no significant changes in Ni film emerged after 8 thermal cycles.     

Electrospun capric acid/polyethylene terephthalate composite nanofibres for storage and retrieval of thermal energy

Abstract

Composite nanofibres based on capric acid (CA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with different mass ratios of CA/PET ranging from 0·5∶1, 1∶1, 1·5∶1, 2∶1 to 2·5∶1 were fabricated by electrospinning as innovative form-stable phase change materials for storage and retrieval of thermal energy. The morphological structures, thermal energy storage properties and thermal stability of electrospun CA/PET composite nanofibres were characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) respectively. The FE-SEM images revealed that the electrospun CA/PET composite nanofibres had a cylindrical morphology with average fibre diameters in the range of about 145–192 nm. Additionally, the FE-SEM and TEM images indicated that the CA distributed on the surface and within the core of the composite nanofibres. The results acquired from DSC analyses indicated that the mass ratio of CA versus PET played an important role on the enthalpy values of melting and crystallisation of the composite nanofibres, while it had no appreciable effect on the temperatures of phase transitions. Moreover, the results of DSC thermal cycling suggested that the thermal energy storage properties of the CA in the composite nanofibres had hardly been influenced during thermal cycling, indicating that the electrospun CA/PET composite nanofibres had good thermal reliability. The TGA results showed that both the onset thermal degradation temperature and the charred residue at 700°C of the composite nanofibres were lower than those of pure PET nanofibres as a result of the thermal instability of the CA molecular chains.     

Thermoviscoelastic Dynamic Behavior of a Double-Layered Hollow Cylinder Under Thermal Shocking

In this article, thermoviscoelastic dynamic behavior of a double-layered cylinder with a thermal barrier coating under radially symmetric mechanic and thermal loadings is investigated. The double-layered hollow cylinder is constructed of a viscoelastic layer and a homogenous layer, and the cylinder is subjected to thermal shocking. The material parameters of the cylinder are assumed to be temperature-dependent. The governing equation of the motion of the double-layered hollow cylinder under both dynamic mechanical and thermal loads is obtained based on the plane-stain theory, meanwhile, the transient heat transfer problems are solved by the finite difference method (FDM), Newmark method (NM), and iterative method. Numerical results show that mechanical load, boundary conditions, temperature field and whether considering the viscoelasticity of the inner layer each have a great influence on the dynamic behavior of the double-layered hollow cylinder.