The use of high temperature fuel cells, such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), for power generation is considered a very efficient and clean solution for conservation of energy resources. When the SOFC is coupled with a gas turbine, the global system efficiency can go beyond 70% on natural gas lower heating value (LHV). However, durability of the ceramic material and system operability can be significantly penalized by thermal stresses due to temperature fluctuations and noneven temperature distributions. Thermal management of the cell during load following is therefore essential. The purpose of this work is to develop and test a precombustor model for real-time applications in hardware-based simulations, and to implement a control strategy to keep constant cathode inlet temperature during different operative conditions. The real-time model of the precombustor was incorporated into the existing SOFC model and tested in a hybrid system facility, where a physical gas turbine and hardware components were coupled with a cyber-physical fuel cell for flexible, accurate, and cost-reduced simulations. The control of the fuel flow to the precombustor was proven to be effective in maintaining a constant cathode inlet temperature during a step change in fuel cell load. With a 20 A load variation, the maximum temperature deviation from the nominal value was below 0.3% (3 K). Temperature gradients along the cell were maintained below 10 K/cm. An efficiency analysis was performed in order to evaluate the impact of the precombustor on the overall system efficiency.
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August 2017
Research-Article
Fuel Cell Temperature Control With a Precombustor in SOFC Gas Turbine Hybrids During Load Changes
Valentina Zaccaria,
Valentina Zaccaria
National Energy Technology Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: Valentina.zaccaria@netl.doe.gov
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: Valentina.zaccaria@netl.doe.gov
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Zachary Branum,
Zachary Branum
The School of Engineering of
Matter, Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
University Drive,
Tempe, AZ 85281
e-mail: Zachary.branum@gmail.com
Matter, Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
University Drive,
Tempe, AZ 85281
e-mail: Zachary.branum@gmail.com
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David Tucker
David Tucker
National Energy Technology Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: David.tucker@netl.doe.gov
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: David.tucker@netl.doe.gov
Search for other works by this author on:
Valentina Zaccaria
National Energy Technology Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: Valentina.zaccaria@netl.doe.gov
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: Valentina.zaccaria@netl.doe.gov
Zachary Branum
The School of Engineering of
Matter, Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
University Drive,
Tempe, AZ 85281
e-mail: Zachary.branum@gmail.com
Matter, Transport, and Energy,
Arizona State University,
University Drive,
Tempe, AZ 85281
e-mail: Zachary.branum@gmail.com
David Tucker
National Energy Technology Laboratory,
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: David.tucker@netl.doe.gov
U.S. Department of Energy,
3610 Collins Ferry Road,
Morgantown, WV 26507
e-mail: David.tucker@netl.doe.gov
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received December 9, 2016; final manuscript received May 15, 2017; published online June 21, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Robert J. Braun.This work is in part a work of the U.S. Government. ASME disclaims all interest in the U.S. Government's contributions.
J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor. Aug 2017, 14(3): 031006 (8 pages)
Published Online: June 21, 2017
Article history
Received:
December 9, 2016
Revised:
May 15, 2017
Citation
Zaccaria, V., Branum, Z., and Tucker, D. (June 21, 2017). "Fuel Cell Temperature Control With a Precombustor in SOFC Gas Turbine Hybrids During Load Changes." ASME. J. Electrochem. En. Conv. Stor. August 2017; 14(3): 031006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4036809
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