Performance of An Energy Production System Consisting of Solar Collector, Biogas Dry Reforming Reactor and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Abstract

This paper aims to study the performance of solar collectors of various sizes under different weather conditions in different Japanese cities, i.e., Kofu City, Nagoya City and Yamagata City. The heat generated by the solar collector was used to conduct a biogas dry reforming reactor for producing H2 to feed a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). This study revealed that the output temperature of a solar collector Tfb in April and July was higher than that in January and October irrespective of city. The optimum length of the absorber (dx) of the collector was 4 m irrespective of city. It was clarified that the Tfb in Yamagata City in January and October, i.e., winter and autumn, is lower than that in Kofu City and especially Nagoya City, which is strongly influenced by the tendency of solar intensity (I), not the velocity of the surrounding air (ua). On the other hand, the Tfb is almost the same in April and July, i.e., spring and summer, irrespective of city. The amount of produced H2 via the biogas dry reforming reactor and the power generated by the SOFC using H2 in spring and summer were higher compared to the other seasons irrespective of city. This study revealed that the highest available household number per month was 4.7, according to the investigation in this study.