PX-25-A004 - Analysis of a Fuel Cell Micro-Combined Heating and Power System ✓ Most Recent

Combined heating and power (CHP) systems have been researched and designed for many years, particularly for large scale applications and more recently for residential systems. This paper explores a portable CHP system based on reforming fuel to synthesis gas and power generation in an attached solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A computational model of the proposed CHP system is created using propane as the fuel. Different partial oxidation conditions are analyzed theoretically based on chemical equilibrium and compared with experiments using gas chromatography to determine the electrical conversion efficiency. The resulting electrical efficiencies are shown and discussed as compared to existing CHP technology.