Published 8 issues per year
ISSN Print: 2150-3621
ISSN Online: 2150-363X
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PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL RESULTS OF A DOMESTIC SOFC BASED MICRO-CHP SYSTEM
ABSTRACT
Fuel cell technology offers an efficient energy conversion pathway from hydrocarbon fuels and has become one of the attractive options in the scenarios for decentralized energy generation. This paper presents a multi-fuel micro-combined heat and power (CHP) system based on a modular planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which is capable of operating with gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon fuels. First results from the operation of the system on natural gas and with a 500 Wel stack are presented in this work; for the final system development, a nominal electrical output of 1.5 kWel is intended. The developed system is operated by a heat-driven procedure and an electrical efficiency on the order of 30% is targeted. The planar SOFC stack constitutes the core part of the unit and enables fuel flexibility as well as a simple and compact system design. The applied reforming strategy is based on a robust, multi-fuel, thermal partial oxidation reformer combined with a ceramic wall-flow filter for retention of soot particles which can be easily regenerated. Several additional balance-of-plant components have been developed for the micro-CHP system so as to handle heat recovery and utilization of the stack's exhaust gases. The aforementioned components include compact high-temperature heat exchangers and a flexible post-combustion system.
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