A software tool for the evaluation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells systems

This paper presents a simulation software with a graphical user interface developed to analyse and model Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for stationary applications. The tool is based on a dynamic model that has been developed in the Matlab-Simulink^copy environment and that allows the user to take into account both physical and chemical principles as well as empirical parameters in order to analize both steady state and dynamic operation of the SOFC. The tool has been used to simulate the behaviour of a 1 kW planar SOFC and has been validated using data from an experimental prototype manufactured with the screen printing technique.