Large scale power production benefits from the high efficiency of gas-steam combined cycles. In the lower power range, fuel cells are a good candidate to combine with gas turbines. Such systems can achieve efficiencies exceeding 60%. High-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) offer good opportunities for this coupling. In this paper, a systematic method to select a design according to user specifications is presented. The most attractive configurations of this technology coupling are identified using a thermo-economic multi-objective optimization approach. The SOFC model includes detailed computation of losses of the electrodes and thermal management. The system is integrated using pinch based methods. A thermo-economic approach is then used to compute the integrated system performances, size, and cost. This allows to perform the optimization of the system with regard to two objectives: minimize the specific cost and maximize the efficiency. Optimization results prove the existence of designs with costs from for a 44% efficiency to for a 70% efficiency. Several design options are analyzed regarding, among others, fuel processing, pressure ratio, or turbine inlet temperature. The model of a pressurized SOFC– hybrid cycle combines a state-of-the-art planar SOFC with a high-speed micro-gas turbine sustained by air bearings.
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e-mail: nordahl.autissier@epfl.ch
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May 2007
This article was originally published in
Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology
Research Papers
Thermo-Economic Optimization of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, Gas Turbine Hybrid System
N. Autissier,
e-mail: nordahl.autissier@epfl.ch
N. Autissier
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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F. Palazzi,
F. Palazzi
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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F. Marechal,
F. Marechal
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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J. van Herle,
J. van Herle
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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D. Favrat
D. Favrat
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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N. Autissier
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerlande-mail: nordahl.autissier@epfl.ch
F. Palazzi
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
F. Marechal
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
J. van Herle
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
D. Favrat
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
, Laboratory for Industrial Energy Systems (LENI), CH-1015 Lausanne, SwitzerlandJ. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. May 2007, 4(2): 123-129 (7 pages)
Published Online: June 15, 2006
Article history
Received:
December 7, 2005
Revised:
June 15, 2006
Citation
Autissier, N., Palazzi, F., Marechal, F., van Herle, J., and Favrat, D. (June 15, 2006). "Thermo-Economic Optimization of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, Gas Turbine Hybrid System." ASME. J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. May 2007; 4(2): 123–129. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2714564
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