Design of a 10-kW SOFC Hot Box Module with Recirculation

Most solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems in the size of one to five kW electrical output contain one stack only, which allows a simple hot boxdesign. Larger systems in the size of several dozen to hundred kW on the other hand use multiple stacks. While their design is typically more complex, they have the advantage that the larger dimensions facilitate the handling during manufacturing and assembly. SOFC systems in the size of around 10 kW typically also require several stacks, and thus rather complicated hot box designs. Compared to larger systems however, these medium sized modules do nothave the advantagesof easy handling and manufacture. The design of large-scale systems is therefore not necessarily transferable to smaller sizes. However, this medium size is of high interest for research groups working on SOFC systems at demonstrator scale. In our work, we present different 10-kW class module designs that incorporate multiple stacks and an anode off-gas recirculation. We compare the different designs in terms of manufacturing costsand complexity,and discuss how the SOFC stack design affects the hot box complexity.Choosing the best design for our application, we present the design procedure in a methodical way.     «

Most solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems in the size of one to five kW electrical output contain one stack only, which allows a simple hot boxdesign. Larger systems in the size of several dozen to hundred kW on the other hand use multiple stacks. While their design is typically more complex, they have the advantage that the larger dimensions facilitate the handling during manufacturing and assembly. SOFC systems in the size of around 10 kW typically also require se...     »