Integration of solid oxide fuel cell and internal combustion engine for maritime applications

Integration of solid oxide fuel cell and internal combustion engine for maritime applications

Sapra, H.D. (TU Delft Ship Design, Production and Operations)
Stam, J.N. (TU Delft Energy Technology)
Reurings, Jeroen (Ministry of Defence)
van Biert, L. (TU Delft Ship Design, Production and Operations)
van Sluijs, Wim (Pon Power Nederland)
de Vos, P. (TU Delft Ship Design, Production and Operations)
Visser, K. (TU Delft Ship Design, Production and Operations)
Aravind, P.V. (TU Delft Energy Technology)
Hopman, J.J. (TU Delft Marine and Transport Technology)

Marine and Transport Technology

2021

The current literature on solid oxide fuel cell and internal combustion engine (SOFC-ICE) integration is focused on the application of advanced combustion technologies operating as bottoming cycles to generate a small load share. This integration approach can pose challenges for ships such as restricted dynamic capabilities and large space and weight requirements. Furthermore, the potential of SOFC-ICE integration for marine power generation has not been explored. Consequently, the current work proposes a novel approach of SOFC-ICE integration for maritime applications, which allows for high-efficiency power generation while the SOFC anode-off gas (AOG) is blended with natural gas (NG) and combusted in a marine spark-ignited (SI) engine for combined power generation. The objective of this paper is to investigate the potential of the proposed SOFC-ICE integration approach with respect to system efficiency, emissions, load sharing, space and weight considerations and load response. In this work, a verified zero-dimensional (0-D) SOFC model, engine experiments and a validated AOG-NG mean value engine model is used. The study found that the SOFC-ICE integration, with a 67–33 power split at 750 kWe power output, yielded the highest efficiency improvement of 8.3% over a conventional marine natural gas engine. Simulation results showed that promising improvements in efficiency of 5.2%, UHC and NOx reductions of about 30% and CO₂ reductions of about 12% can be achieved from a 33–67 SOFC-ICE power split with comparatively much smaller increments in size and weight of 1.7 times. Furthermore, the study concluded that in the proposed SOFC-ICE system for maritime applications, a power split that favours the ICE would significantly improve the dynamic capabilities of the combined system and that the possible sudden and large load changes can be met by the ICE.

Combined cycle
Dynamic load response
Experiments
Maritime
Modelling and simulations
SOFC-ICE integration

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f9a77c51-f130-4cb7-b22b-b291af8a7a10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115854

0306-2619

Applied Energy, 281

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2021 H.D. Sapra, J.N. Stam, Jeroen Reurings, L. van Biert, Wim van Sluijs, P. de Vos, K. Visser, P.V. Aravind, J.J. Hopman