Solid Oxide Cells - dynamic model validation

Semester/Master project

Spring 2025

Context

Today’s energy supply depends heavily on fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases and damaging ecosystems. The scientific community is exploring alternatives like solar and wind energy, which are promising for decarbonized electricity production but require balancing intermittency with technologies such as power-to-X-to-power devices, where X represents storable molecules for power generation. Solid Oxide Cells (SOCs) have gained attention as a bi-directional and highly efficient energy conversion technology capable of co-generating high quality heat useful for industrial processes. In fact, SOC can operate in both modes either producing electricity from various fuels (fuel cell) or generating Hydrogen from excess electricity which makes them very promising in this energy context. Research now focuses on optimizing the economics, energy efficiency, heat management and propose pragmatic designs for scaling-up of these systems. In this regard, a detailed look at the dynamics is crucial to understand the performance and the stability of such systems, considering part-load operations, as well as temperature/pressure/flows variations.

The Tasks

The project is a follow-up of a preliminary analysis (made by myself) and consists of refining a standardized method for validating a dynamic SOFC model from experimental data and will be composed of the following crucial steps:

  • Building the model in gPROMS, a flowsheeting software, that allows for dynamic modelling and model validation features
  • Isolate the crucial parameters for model validation
  • Gather and pre-process experimental data from GEM lab, considering various conditions
  • Validate the model using in-place features and statistical tools of gPROMS.
  • Possibly generalize the approach and methodology to SOEC (Electrolyzer) and eventually reversible systems (rSOC).

Skills

  • Basic knowledge in thermodynamics and electrochemistry

  • Programming skills (either Python or Matlab)

  • Interest in process flowsheeting and energy integration

  • Lectures:

    • Energy Conversion and Renewable Energy
    • Basic Thermodynamics Lectures
    • Electrochemical Engineering (Optional)
    • Applied Data Analysis (recommended)

Practical information

This project is dense and can also be a 2-steps project (combined with a master thesis) if interst and dedication is shown by the student. Also this project is a bridge between experimental (GEM lab) and modelling (IPESE) part, which is a very important step for emerging technologies.

The project will be conducted in IPESE/GEM lab in Sion (EPFL Valais) at about 1h05 from Lausanne train station. Possibility of meeting on the campus in Lausanne (Mondays) once the project is up and running. Any transportation fees between Lausanne and Sion will be reimbursed by the lab. English is required for the end report, but the supervision can be carried out in french, english or german.

Supervisor

The project will mainly be supervised by Arthur Waeber. If interested, please contact me via e-mail attaching your CV and a short motivation letter.

Arthur Waeber, Xinyi Wei, Meire Domingos, mailto: arthur.waeber@epfl.ch;