Design of an SOFC/SOE station: Experimental test campaigns

At the University of Calabria, Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, an SOFC-SOE experimental station was built for the generation of electrical and thermal energies and for the production of hydrogen-carbon monoxide and oxygen. In SOFC mode the station is fed by mixtures rich in H2 with CO2, CO, N2, whereas in SOE mode the two configurations are foreseen: in electrolysis for the H2 production and in co-electrolysis for the production of H2-CO mixtures. The SOFC-SOE test bench includes a short stack, with an attached electrochemical device setup, a furnace for the control of temperature and a reforming reactor for the possible conversion of CH4 into a hydrogen-rich stream. The station is also equipped with a steam generator, an electronic load for the consumption of the station electrical power (SOFC mode) and a power supply for the supply of electrical power to the short stack (SOE mode). This work presents some SOFC-SOE experimental test campaigns, which are planned both with reference to the various gaseous mixtures to be simulated and with reference to the control strategy of the most significant parameters. The evaluation of the experimental tests allows achievement of the overall energy mapping of the SOFC-SOE system, through which the operating ranges of the system can be identified, both in terms of feeding gaseous mixtures and of the output gaseous products. An analysis of the system performance is carried out through the parameters of electrical efficiency, operating temperature of the system and composition of the feed gases, as regards the SOFC mode; through the parameters of CO and H2 production, CO2 and steam contents in the feeding gases and system operating temperature in SOE mode.