• Kiviaho, Jari
• Stenberger-Wilckens, Robert
• Rosenberg, Rolf
• Blum, Ludger
• Olivier, C. Tarnowski
• Jacobsen, Joachim
• Göös, Jukka
• Jansson, Peik

Abstract

In 2007 the European Technology Platform for Hydrogen andFuel Cells established a target for installed fuel cellpower capacity of 8-16 GW cumulative in 2020. At presentthe European industry is developing and delivering250-500 kW molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power plantsand small residential polymer electrode (PEFC)as wellas solid oxide (SOFC) fuel cell systems. Most of thelater have power levels of 1-2 kW electric. 10 GW ofthese small ones would correspond to 5-10 million units.This is a large number and therefore large units willalso be needed to make the number. In Europe there aretwo companies developing large SOFC systems: Rolls-RoyceFuel Cell Systems (RRFCS) Ltd in UK and a consortium ofWärtsilä in Finland and Topsoe Fuel Cells Ltd (TOFC) inDenmark. Wärtsilä is system integrator and TOFC producethe stacks.The Large-SOFC project, funded by the European Union andthe project participants, aims to take forward thedevelopments of small SOFC systems to large systems inthe range of hundreds of kW to 1 MW. Two lines ofdevelopment are pursued. One is the RRFCS pressurisedFC/GT hybrid system and the second is the non-pressurisedCHP unit by Wärtsilä. Concepts for systems, sub-systemsand components are first developed. In a second phasecomponents and sub-systems are developed and theirperformance verified. The final stage is conceptverification with a 50 kW CHP unit constructed byWärtsilä using 50 kW of planar SOFC stack assemblymanufactured by TOFC.The work is supported by the research organisations andindustrial partners VTT Technical Research Centre ofFinland (VTT), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ), theUniversity of Genoa (UNIGE), Bosal Research nv, InmatecTechnologies GmbH and The Switch.The work related to the pressurised hybrid systemincludes the development of test rigs to study system andcomponent both at RRFCS and at UNIGE, experimental andmodelling work to study system control, components- andsystem design. Work is also carried out at Inmatec tofind new ceramics and their manufacturing technologiesfor cells and stacks.Construction of test rigs andtesting of potential heat exchanger materials for creepand chemical stability takes place at BosalThe work related to the non-pressurised CHP unit followsa consecutive path from concept design to constructionand verification of a 50 kW concept verification unit. Itstarts with steady state modelling to analyse differentconcepts in order to find a combination of the bestefficiency and lowest component count for costoptimisation. In parallel with that work a dynamic systemmodel is developed in order to simulate the system whenready for concept verification. The next step is to usedesign tools in combination with component data to do thefinal design of the 50 kW unit on component level,including drawings. Then the components are found fromthe market or designed, constructed, and tested in orderto get final performance data for the dynamic systemmodelling. The Switch designs power electronics for gridconnection. The stack assembly and the interfaces havealready been designed and at present the stacks are beingmanufactured.By the end of the year the 50 kW unit will be constructedand the first verification measurements made.In addition to the above mentioned activities somesupporting work dealing with fuel quality, fuel cleaning,reforming, grid connection, safety standards and lifecycle analysis are also undertaken in the project.Dissemination of information and training are undertakentrough workshops and summer schools.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• polymer
• chemical stability
• Hydrogen
• ceramic
• drawing