Compared Thermal Modeling of Anode- and Electrolyte-Supported SOFC-Gas Turbine Hybrid Systems

In this study, two solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) hybrid systems (anode-supported model (ASM) and electrolyte-supported model (ESM)) is developed in matlab® and compared. The hybrid system model is considered to investigate the impacts of various operating parameters such as SOFC operating temperature and steam/carbon ratio on power production and performance of the hybrid system where it is projected that results can be utilized as guidelines for optimal hybrid system operation. According to the findings, a maximum 695 kW power is produced at 750 °C operating temperature for the anode-supported model, whereas 627 kW power is produced at 1000 °C for the electrolyte-supported model. The highest electrical efficiencies for the anode-supported model and the electrolyte-supported model are 64.6% and 58.3%, respectively. Besides, the lower value of the steam to carbon ratio is favorable for increased power output from the fuel cell and consequently a high SOFC efficiency.