Modelling High-Temperature Electrochemical Cells: An Engineering Perspective

High-temperature electrochemical cells have received increasing interest in the past years as important elements in an energy transition scenario. Their employment in power-to-gas or gas-to-power systems naturally requires an accurate design that takes into account the effect of operating conditions and geometries on both the performance of the cells themselves and their integration with other units. To this end, it is important to develop flexible yet comprehensive models for their description and to identify performance parameters that allow a concise assessment of their efficiency. The aim of the present work is to identify the limitations – in terms of applicability and consistency – of the mathematical models developed to date to describe high-temperature electrochemical cells, as well as the key characteristics that they should possess. A brief review of literature in this field is then reported, to identify the research areas that still need to be explored.