Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) offer several advantages that are accelerating the research and development of the technology. Recent advances include the improvement of materials and new fabrication techniques, as well as new designs, flow configurations, and applications. The large scale implementation of fuel cells, especially in distributed energy generation, is limited by several factors––one of which is their limited fuel flexibility. Changing fuel typically requires modifying the fuel processing unit to make it possible to effectively convert raw fuel into hydrogen-rich gas. One potential solution allows for the use of alternative fuels without the need for customization of the fuel processor. This solution requires the adaptation of the stack to operate with direct internal reforming (DIR) of the fuel on the surface of the anodes. The present study explores the potential to internally reform methane in the SOFC stack with electrolyte supported cells. The numerical model that was developed for the simulation of the 1300 W stack was validated using experimental data obtained from partial internal reforming. Later, the model was applied to simulate the operation of the stack with complete internal reforming of methane. It was observed that the strong effects of internal reforming on the temperature in the outlets are visible when the current exceeds 22 A. However, it was proven that the DIR-SOFC mode of operation is possible in the considered stack without exceeding the advised temperature limits in the core, and in the outlets of the anodic and cathodic compartments. The model was found to be accurate and the observed relative prediction error was in the range of 1.51–2.38%.

固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）具有多种优势，正在加速该技术的研究和开发。最近的进展包括材料和新制造技术的改进，以及新设计，流程配置和应用的改进。燃料电池的大规模实施，特别是在分布式能源生产中，受到几个因素的限制-其中之一是燃料灵活性有限。更换燃料通常需要修改燃料处理单元，以使其能够有效地将原始燃料转化为富氢气体。一种潜在的解决方案允许使用替代燃料，而无需定制燃料处理器。该解决方案需要使燃料电池堆适应以在阳极表面上进行燃料的直接内部重整（DIR）的情况下运行。本研究探索了利用电解质支持的电池在内部重整SOFC堆栈中甲烷的潜力。使用部分内部重整获得的实验数据验证了为模拟1300 W烟囱而开发的数值模型。后来，该模型被用于模拟甲烷的内部完全重整的烟囱操作。已观察到，当电流超过22 A时，可以看到内部重整对出口温度的强烈影响。但是，事实证明，在考虑的烟囱中，DIR-SOFC的工作模式是可能的，而不会超出建议的温度极限在阳极室和阳极室和阴极室的出口处。发现该模型是准确的，并且观察到的相对预测误差在1.51–2.38％的范围内。