Pore-scale analysis of diffusion transport parameters in digitally reconstructed SOFC anodes with gradient porosity in the main flow direction

One of the promising devices to obtain electrical and thermal energy with considerable high efficiency is the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The electrical energy is the result of the electrochemical reactions that occur inside the fuel cell (FC) when the reactant gases reach the so-called three-phase boundary (TPB). The nonhomogeneous and anisotropic characteristics of the layer between the gas channel and the TPB region require a pore-scale analysis to understand the effect of microstructural configurations. The purpose of this paper is to provide understanding of the behavior of the fluid flow through the digitally reconstructed SOFC anodes, with gradient porosity in the main flow direction, using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The impact of the porosity distribution over the fluid behavior is determined for different digitally created SOFC anodes. The SOFC anodes are analyzed keeping the total porosity constant, but varying the local porosity in the flow direction. The impact of a gradient porosity over the gas-phase tortuosity and the normalized effective diffusion coefficient are presented

Continuum scale modelling and complementary experimentation of solid oxide cells

Solid oxide cells are an exciting technology for energy conversion. Fuel cells, based on solid oxide technology, convert hydrogen or hydrogen-rich fuels into electrical energy, with potential applications in stationary power generation. Conversely, solid oxide electrolysers convert electricity into chemical energy, thereby offering the potential to store energy from transient resources, such as wind turbines and other renewable technologies. For solid oxide cells to displace conventional energy conversion devices in the marketplace, reliability must be improved, product lifecycles extended, and unit costs reduced. Mathematical models can provide qualitative and quantitative insight into physical phenomena and performance, over a range of length and time scales. The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with a summary of the state-of-the art of solid oxide cell models. These range from: simple methods based on lumped parameters with little or no kinetics to detailed, time-dependent, three-dimensional solutions for electric field potentials, complex chemical kinetics and fully-comprehensive equations of motion based on effective transport properties. Many mathematical models have, in the past, been based on inaccurate property values obtained from the literature, as well as over-simplistic schemes to compute effective values. It is important to be aware of the underlying experimental methods available to parameterise mathematical models, as well as validate results. In this article, state-of-the-art techniques for measuring kinetic, electric and transport properties are also described. Methods such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy allow for fundamental physicochemical parameters to be obtained. In addition, effective properties may be obtained using micro-scale computer simulations based on digital reconstruction obtained from X-ray tomography/focussed ion beam scanning electron microscopy, as well as percolation theory. The cornerstone of model validation, namely the polarisation or current-voltage diagram, provides necessary, but insufficient information to substantiate the reliability of detailed model calculations. The results of physical experiments which precisely mimic the details of model conditions are scarce, and it is fair to say there is a gap between the two activities. The purpose of this review is to introduce the reader to the current state-of-the art of solid oxide analysis techniques, in a tutorial fashion, not only numerical and but also experimental, and to emphasise the cross-linkages between techniques

The contact angle of nanofluids as thermophysical property

Droplet volume and temperature affect contact angle significantly. Phase change heat transfer processes of nanofluids – suspensions containing nanometre-sized particles – can only be modelled properly by understanding these effects. The approach proposed here considers the limiting contact angle of a droplet asymptotically approaching zero-volume as a thermophysical property to characterise nanofluids positioned on a certain substrate under a certain atmosphere. Graphene oxide, alumina, and gold nanoparticles are suspended in deionised water. Within the framework of a round robin test carried out by nine independent European institutes the contact angle of these suspensions on a stainless steel solid substrate is measured with high accuracy. No dependence of nanofluids contact angle of sessile droplets on the measurement device is found. However, the measurements reveal clear differences of the contact angle of nanofluids compared to the pure base fluid. Physically founded correlations of the contact angle in dependency of droplet temperature and volume are obtained from the data. Extrapolating these functions to zero droplet volume delivers the searched limiting contact angle depending only on the temperature. It is for the first time, that this specific parameter, is understood as a characteristic material property of nanofluid droplets placed on a certain substrate under a certain atmosphere. Together with the surface tension it provides the foundation of proper modelling phase change heat transfer processes of nanofluids

Genetic Control of the Variable Innate Immune Response to Asymptomatic Bacteriuria

The severity of urinary tract infection (UTI) reflects the quality and magnitude of the host response. While strong local and systemic innate immune activation occurs in patients with acute pyelonephritis, the response to asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is low. The immune response repertoire in ABU has not been characterized, due to the inherent problem to distinguish bacterial differences from host-determined variation. In this study, we investigated the host response to ABU and genetic variants affecting innate immune signaling and UTI susceptibility. Patients were subjected to therapeutic urinary tract inoculation with E. coli 83972 to ensure that they were exposed to the same E. coli strain. The innate immune response repertoire was characterized in urine samples, collected from each patient before and after inoculation with bacteria or PBS, if during the placebo arm of the study. Long-term E. coli 83972 ABU was established in 23 participants, who were followed for up to twelve months and the innate immune response was quantified in 233 urine samples. Neutrophil numbers increased in all but two patients and in an extended urine cytokine/chemokine analysis (31 proteins), the chemoattractants IL-8 and GRO-α, RANTES, Eotaxin-1 and MCP-1, the T cell chemoattractant and antibacterial peptide IP-10, inflammatory regulators IL-1-α and sIL-1RA and the T lymphocyte/dendritic cell product sIL-2Rα were detected and variably increased, compared to sterile samples. IL-6, which is associated with symptomatic UTI, remained low and numerous specific immune mediators were not detected. The patients were also genotyped for UTI-associated IRF3 and TLR4 promoter polymorphisms. Patients with ABU associated TLR4 polymorphisms had low neutrophil numbers, IL-6, IP-10, MCP-1 and sIL-2Rα concentrations. Patients with the ABU-associated IRF3 genotype had lower neutrophils, IL-6 and MCP-1 responses than the remaining group. The results suggest that the host-specific, low immune response to ABU mainly includes innate immune mediators and that host genetics directly influence the magnitude of this response

Transcriptomics and adaptive genomics of the asymptomatic bacteriuria Escherichia coli strain 83972

Escherichia coli strains are the major cause of urinary tract infections in humans. Such strains can be divided into virulent, UPEC strains causing symptomatic infections, and asymptomatic, commensal-like strains causing asymptomatic bacteriuria, ABU. The best-characterized ABU strain is strain 83972. Global gene expression profiling of strain 83972 has been carried out under seven different sets of environmental conditions ranging from laboratory minimal medium to human bladders. The data reveal highly specific gene expression responses to different conditions. A number of potential fitness factors for the human urinary tract could be identified. Also, presence/absence data of the gene expression was used as an adaptive genomics tool to model the gene pool of 83972 using primarily UPEC strain CFT073 as a scaffold. In our analysis, 96% of the transcripts filtered present in strain 83972 can be found in CFT073, and genes on six of the seven pathogenicity islands were expressed in 83972. Despite the very different patient symptom profiles, the two strains seem to be very similar. Genes expressed in CFT073 but not in 83972 were identified and can be considered as virulence factor candidates. Strain 83972 is a deconstructed pathogen rather than a commensal strain that has acquired fitness properties