Design and optimization of a solid oxide fuel cell-inverted gas turbine integrated system with zero carbon emission for distributed cogeneration

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine (SOFC-GT) hybrid system is an efficient and potential method for distributed energy supply. The system layout, component operating parameters, system-level heat integration, component selection and design, etc., determine the system performance. To further improve the performance and achieve zero CO2 emissions, a ambient-pressure solid oxide fuel cell-inverted gas turbine (SOFC-IGT) hybrid system with CO2 capture using oxy-fuel combustor was proposed. With the aid of partial-load component model and a multi-objective optimization method established, the heat exchanger network and heat exchanger physical structure were designed and optimized. The results show that, pursuing a higher gross electrical efficiency leads to a decline in heat output. The electrical efficiency can be improved by increasing the external reforming ratio while ensuring self-sufficiency in heat. The heat integration is critical to enhance system performance, and optimizing heat exchanger network can make full use of the heat of stack exhaust and reduce the demand for external cold utility. The heat exchanger structural design has a trade-off between the total heat-transfer coefficient and the pressure drop. The net electrical efficiency of the three special solutions can reach 53.9 %, 65.7 %, and 65.8 %, respectively. The design of the maximum heat point (MHP) scheme can be considered when pursuing lower cost, and the design of the maximum power point (MPP) scheme can be employed for higher performance.