Implementation of Equivalent Circuit Model of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Multi-physics Transients Simulation Using Simulink/SimPowerSystems

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has received considerable attention nowadays. It can be used in the integrated energy system (IES) to provide both thermal power and electric power. For purposes of analysis of multi-physics phenomena, a SOFC model that considers electric, pneumatic, and thermal transients is developed in this paper. Electrical analogies for pneumatic and thermal quantities are exploited. Equivalent circuits are used to represent the dynamic performance of electric, pneumatic, and thermal transients inside the SOFC. The equivalent circuit model is implemented in Matlab/Simulink/SimPowerSystems. Case studies involving3 W and 5 kW SOFCs are conducted to validate the proposed model.