Optimization of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and Gas Turbine Hybrid System

Abstract

The low efficiency and high environmental impact of conventional power cycles are a major concern. The integration of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and gas turbines (GTs) has been proposed in the literature to increase fuel to power conversion. Parametric studies are usually conducted to identify suitable operating conditions for such integrated systems. However, parametric studies only consider the main effects of the design variables and do not provide information on the interactive effect of the design variables. In this study, a multi-objective optimization is performed to optimize the performance of a SOFC-GT hybrid system. The objective functions are system efficiency and total cost rate, including capital, operating, and environmental penalty costs. The design variables are selected based on sensitivity analysis to assess the effect of the variables on the objective functions. The performance of the SOFC-GT hybrid system is modeled in Aspen Plus, while MATLAB is used for multi-objective optimization. The multi-objective optimization solution is presented in terms of a Pareto frontier.