Efficiency of Anode Gas Afterburners in the Marine Hybrid System “Solid Oxide Fuel Cell – Gas Turbine”
摘要
The article is dedicated to the theoretical study of the possibilities of using various types of combustion devices for the post-combustion of anode gases in the marine hybrid system “Solid Oxide Fuel Cell – Gas Turbine” (SOFC-GT). The anode gases of fuel cells contain a small amount of combustible components, such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which need to be burned to raise the initial temperature of the gases before the gas turbine utilizes the waste heat, with the aim of improving the thermodynamic efficiency of the entire hybrid energy system. Using three-dimensional numerical modeling methods, an analysis was conducted on the aerodynamic structure of the flow, the combustion of combustible components in the exhaust gases of solid oxide fuel cells, as well as the formation of nitrogen oxides in traditional (diffusion) type afterburners and the proposed type with the preliminary formation of a fuel-oxidant mixture. For the calculations of the working process in afterburners of various types of the prospective marine hybrid system, a mathematical model has been used, based on solving differential equations of convective and diffusive transport of concentrations of chemically reacting components. The aim of the work is a comparative analysis of the efficiency of diffusion-type afterburners and those with a pre-formed fuel-oxidant mixture within the hybrid system “Solid Oxide Fuel Cell – Gas Turbine.“ Unlike previous studies, the effectiveness of the anode gas afterburner for solid oxide fuel cells has been demonstrated based on a fuel combustion device with a pre-formed fuel-oxidant mixture. The stability of the proposed afterburner operation has been demonstrated with the preliminary formation of a fuel-oxidizer mixture in the front device of the flame tube, resulting in practically zero emissions of toxic components. The new data obtained have identified directions for enhancing the efficiency of promising hybrid marine systems with fuel cells and gas turbines, which will provide a boost for the creation of environmentally friendly decarbonized energy systems.