Enforcing optimal operation in solid-oxide fuel-cell systems

Tafarel de Avila Ferreira, Zacharie Wuillemin, Timm Faulwasser, Christophe Salzmann, Jan Van herle and Dominique Bonvin

Energy, 2019, vol. 181, issue C, 281-293

Abstract: This paper describes an optimization strategy for operating solid-oxide fuel-cell systems at optimal efficiency. Specifically, we present the experimental validation of a real-time optimization (RTO) strategy applied to a commercial solid-oxide fuel-cell system. The proposed RTO scheme effectively pushes the system to higher levels of efficiency and maintains the system there despite perturbations by tracking active constraints. The optimization approach uses either steady-state measurements, or transient measurements in combination with a dynamic model, and can deal effectively with plant-model mismatch. In the reported experiments, the approach drives the system to the desired power demand at optimal efficiency. The experimental fuel-cell system reached 65% DC electrical efficiency. As such, the proposed RTO scheme is a promising candidate for enforcing optimal micro-CHP operation. In addition, the approach can deal with slow drifts such as degradation without compromising on efficiency. Finally, and important from a practical point of view, we suggest guidelines for safe and optimal operation.

Keywords: SOFC system; Optimal efficiency; Real-time optimization; Constraint adaptation; Plant-model mismatch; Time-scale separation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544219308278
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:181:y:2019:i:c:p:281-293

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.04.188

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().