Study on Internal Reforming Characteristic of 1 kW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack

This paper presents the performance characteristics of a 1 kW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack under various internal reforming and fuel utilization conditions. The Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST) developed the 9-cell stack using a $20{\times}20cm^2$ anode supported planar cell with an active area of $324cm^2$. In this work, current-voltage characteristic test, fuel utilization test, continuous operation, and internal reforming test were carried out sequentially for 765 hours at a furnace temperature of $700^{\circ}C$. The influence of fuel utilization and internal reforming on the stack performance was analyzed. When the 1 kW stack was tested at a current of 145.8 A with a corresponding fuel utilization of 50-70% (internal reforming of 50%) and air utilization of 27%, the stack power was approximately 1.062-1.079 kW. Under continuous operation conditions, performance degradation rate was 2.16%/kh for 664 hours. The internal reforming characteristics of the stack were measured at a current of 145.8. A with a corresponding fuel utilization of 60-75%(internal reforming of 50-80%) and air utilization of 27%. As fuel utilization and internal reforming ratio increased, the stack power was decreased. The stack power change due to the internal reforming ratio difference was decreased with increasing fuel utilization.

1 kW 고체산화물 연료전지 스택의 내부개질 특성 연구