Performance evaluation of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid power system

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of the gas turbine cycle integrated with solid oxide fuel cell technology. In the present work, intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell has been considered, as it is economical, can attain an activation temperature in a quick time, and also have a longer life compared to a high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, which helps in the commercialization and can generate two ways of electricity as a hybrid configuration. Design/methodology/approach The conceptualized cycle has been analyzed with the help of computer code developed in MATLAB with the help of governing equations. In this work, the focus is on the performance investigation of a Gas turbine intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell hybrid cycle. The work also analyzes the performance behavior of the proposed cycle with various design and operating parameters. Findings It is found that the power generation efficiency of the IT-SOFC-GT hybrid system reaches up to 60% (LHV) for specific design and operating conditions. The cycle calculations of an IT-SOFC-GT hybrid system and its conceptual design have been presented in this work. Originality/value The unique feature of this work is that IT-SOFC has been adopted for integration instead of HT-SOFC, and this work also provides the performance behavior of the hybrid system with varying design and operating parameters, which is the novelty of this work. This work has significant scientific merit, as the cost involved for the commercialization of IT-SOFC is comparatively lower than HT-SOFC and provides a good option to energy manufacturers for generating clean energy at a low cost.