Chapter 11 - System and application

Abstract

This chapter highlights the applications of ceramic fuel cells. As compared with the other types of fuel cell, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has the unique characteristics of all-solid state (mainly ceramic) construction, along with high operating temperature (highest among the current generation of fuel cells). The other advantages of fuel cell systems include substantially higher energy conversion efficiency, modular construction, higher efficiency at partial loads, minimal siting restrictions, potential for cogeneration, and much lower production of pollutants. These characteristics offer a number of attractive features for the SOFC. For example, because all the cell components are solid, the SOFC can be configured into compact and lightweight structures that are unachievable in fuel cell systems having a liquid electrolyte. Among the various proposed fuel cell propulsion systems, the SOFC is potentially the simplest because of the simplified onboard fuel processing. It can also operate at high current and power densities, thus, offering compactness. The main potential applications of the SOFC are the electric utility and cogeneration sectors. For industrial cogeneration applications such as chemical processing and metallurgical industries, the thermal output of the SOFC can be used to supply industrial process heat (most often in the form of steam), and the fuel generally can be supplied from a byproduct stream from some chemical process in the plant. SOFCs have also been proposed for use in transportation, space, and other applications.