A novel flow field design with flow re-distribution for advanced thermal management in Solid oxide fuel cell

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an alternative for future energy conversion systems with great potential. Long-term operation in SOFC mainly obstructs its further development. Stratification and fission can be occurred in Positive electrolyte negative (PEN) structure by severe thermal stress. By improving the temperature uniformity, localized hot spots and thermal stresses can be eliminated significantly. This study proposed a novel rotary L-type main flow field for SOFC and the thermal and flow characteristics are investigated. The temperature distribution (TD) is estimated by the temperature uniformity index. The results show that the temperature uniformity index increased at least by 40%. The largest TG of the rotary L-type flow field is 20% lower than that of co-flow and cross-flow arrangements. The average TG is 32.72% lower than the counter-flow arrangement. This flow field design provides an effective solution for the long-term operation of SOFC.