Evaluation of Different System Configurations for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Based Micro-CHP Generators in Residential Applications

摘要

The development of fuel cell technologies offers the opportunity to achieve significant improvements in energy conversion efficiencies at many scales. The high operating temperature (700-1000°C) of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) has a number of consequences, the most important of which are the possibility to partially reform the raw fuel in the fuel cell anode compartment and the possibility to use high quality heat for cogeneration. In this work, different configurations of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system for decentralized electricity production are considered and studied. The balance of plant (BoP) components will be identified including fuel and air supply, fuel management anode re-circulation, exhaust gas heat management, power conditioning and control system. Using mass and energy balance, different types of fuel reforming including steam reforming, autothermal reforming and partial oxidation will be investigated for each configuration. The Internal reforming reduces the stack temperature and decreases the need of cooling air, which on the other hand will reduce the size of the recuperators and manifolds. Finally, the optimal size for each SOFC system configuration applied to single-family detached dwellings will be evaluated in terms of their energetic performance and suitability for meeting residential thermal and electric demand.