Development of a Highly Flexible SOFC CCHP System Towards Demand-Oriented Power Generation from Renewable Fuels

Abstract

The coupling of AVLs 6 kW EL SOFC CHP system using an IKTS stack module with a 5 kW COLD absorption heat pump developed by TU Graz will be presented. The exhaust gas heat from the SOFC which is available at >200°C will be used to operate the thermally driven heat pump. The SOFCs fuel capability was extended towards renewable fuels such as biogas, and synthetic diesel using a novel gas cleaning concept. For buildings, a heat driven operation mode leads to low operating hours per year for conventional CHP systems during summer season. Generating cooling power in addition to heat will increase the annual operating hours per year and thus economic efficiency significantly. This analysis presents the capability of the SOFC CCHP system for a flexible and demand-oriented generation of electricity, heat and cooling power and shows how cold and cooling water temperatures influence the overall system size.