Analytical Investigation of Polarization Curves for Performance Optimization of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

This paper presents an analysis of the polarization of curve of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell along with the study of the effect of operating parameters such as operating temperature, load current density, exchange current density and electrolyte thickness on the output voltage and power density. Different losses including activation overpotential and concentration overpotential are considered to evaluate the output voltage and power density obtained from the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The study shows that fuel cell having thin electrolyte, when operated at relatively less temperature, gives optimized power density. This study will be essential to design SOFC with optimum performance, by maximizing output power and reducing various losses.