Evaluation of Methods for Thermal Management in a Coal-Based SOFC Turbine Hybrid Through Numerical Simulation

Managing the temperatures and heat transfer in the fuel cell of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) gas turbine (GT) hybrid fired on coal syngas presents certain challenges over a natural gas based system, in that the latter can take advantage of internal reforming to offset heat generated in the fuel cell. Three coal based SOFC/GT configuration designs for thermal management in the main power block are evaluated using steady state numerical simulations developed in ASPEN PLUS. A comparison is made on the basis of efficiency, operability issues and component integration. To focus on the effects of different power block configurations, the analysis assumes a consistent syngas composition in each case, and does not explicitly include gasification or syngas cleanup. A fuel cell module rated at 240 MW was used as a common basis for three different methods. Advantages and difficulties for each configuration are identified in the simulations.