Forced convectional heat transfer in solid oxide fuel cells: An analytical treatment

Abstract

The heat transfer within a fuel cell at steady state conditions is considered here for one dimensional geometry. Analytical solution for the heat transfer equation accompanied by the appropriate boundary conditions is obtained. The heat transfer coefficient is also estimated for the case of ideal heat exchange. It was found that the geometrical characteristics of the cell that are strongly related with its electrical ones (namely, the ohmic resistance and the current developed), are favourable parameters for the maximization of the heat transfer.