Operation Experience with a 20kW SOFC System

Systems based on planar SOFC stacks have a great potential to become compact high efficient power plants. At Forschungszentrum Julich system technology is under development aiming at a 20kW demonstration plant. An important challenge is to realize a compact and efficient system. To achieve this, Julich has invented an Integrated Module, which incorporates all hot parts of the system. After a few years of development four stacks with a nominal power of 5kW were assembled and characterized with proper quality. After integrating them into the system operation was started and 21.3kW gross power were achieved. Because of a leakage in the periphery the test had to be interrupted after 550h of operation under load. Because repair would have taken too long, the test was continued with two modules of 5kW power each. The system was in operation under load for 4,000h. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]