Fast and stable operation approach of ship solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid system under uncertain factors

This work focuses on investigating the adaptability of solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine (SOFC-GT) hybrid system for ship application under uncertain factors. The effect of rapids, wind and waves on the performance of ship SOFC-GT is analyzed. In addition, a novel control system combining fuzzy logic theory, temperature feedforward and coordination factor on-line adjustment is proposed to address the problem of load disturbances caused by uncertain factors. The results show that the proposed operation strategy can shorten the thermal response time inside fuel cell stacks by almost 49.97%, meanwhile, reducing the maximum temperature changing rate at the electrochemically active tri-layer cell composed of anode, electrolyte, and cathode (PEN structure) by around 17.86%. Moreover, the reasonable matching between air flow and fuel flow is an essential prerequisite to ensure the safe and efficient operation of ship SOFC-GT. While the SOFC-GT is working at full load, the results indicate that the fuel to air ratio cannot exceed 2.56.10(-2) g/g. Finally, an application scenario of the 5000-ton river-to-sea cargo ship sails from Nanjing Port to Yangshan Port (Eastern China) is conducted to analyze the operation characteristics of ship SOFC-GT under uncertain factors. Two set of 1000 kW SOFC-GT systems with the electrical efficiency of 64.66% is designed for the target ship, the results conclude that the operation strategy of each SOFC-GT system supports 50% load is beneficial in reducing the power tracking time and SOFC temperature overshoot. The average electrical efficiency of 61.45% and 61.04% are achieved in winter and summer typical days respectively in the whole voyage. (C) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This work focuses on investigating the adaptability and operation characteristics of a solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid system for ship application, addressing uncertainties and load disturbances through a novel control system.