Improvement of the SOFC System by Anode Recirculation

Abstract

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) provides an efficient and clean pathway to generate electricity. In this study, two system configurations with anode off-gas recirculation are introduced, and corresponding process models are developed using MATLAB. The study examines the effects of two key parameters, namely system methane utilization and recirculation ratio, on system characteristics, based on the typical performance of a 30-cell stack. Suitable operating parameter ranges are selected for both system configurations, and their respective characteristics are compared. The results demonstrate that D#1 system configuration improves system fuel utilization from 76.6% to 83.0% without altering the operating conditions of the stack. D#2 system configuration achieves a fuel utilization of 88.6%. The results indicate the potential for further enhancing the electrical efficiency while maintaining the output power and operation stability. This study provides valuable insights for the design and parameter selection of practical systems in future research.