SOFC stack coupled with dry reforming

Abstract

The study proposes an innovative CHP system based on the coupling of carbon dioxide dry reforming (CDR) and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. To supply CO2 at the CDR unit, increasing at the same time the overall utilization factor, SOFC anode off-gases are recycled for fuel reforming. In the CDR unit, in fact, the CO2 in the anodic exhausts reacts with feeding low carbon fuels (in this case natural gas) producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide for the SOFC feeding, thus allowing an internal CO2 reuse. In particular, the SOFC, characterized by high operating temperatures and significant recoverable heat, guarantees suitable temperature of the CDR process, highly endothermic. Moreover, compared to traditional CDR applications, lower temperatures are acceptable because SOFC tolerates feeding gas containing limited amounts of CO and CH4. According to this concept, the SOFC stack can be conveniently fed by a dry reformer reactor. The present study addresses the experimental characterization of SOFC short-stacks performance, in terms of produced power and thermal behavior, when fed by different fuel mixtures produced through dry reforming.