Control Structure Design and Controllability Analysis for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

• Main Authors: N. Chatrattanawet, S. Skogestad, A. Arpornwichanop
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2014-08-01
• Series: Chemical Engineering Transactions
• Online Access: https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/5517

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a highly efficient power generation device. Due to its high-temperature operation, the SOFC can directly run on hydrocarbon fuels which are internally reformed to generate hydrogen within a fuel cell stack. However, the internal reforming causes a temperature gradient in the SOFC stack, especially at the cell inlet. In addition, the coupling of the reforming and electrochemical reactions results in a complicated dynamic response that requires an efficient control system. In this study, the concept of a controllability analysis is applied to the control system design of the SOFC. Controllability plays an important role in designing a control system as it demonstrates the ability to move system outputs to specified bounds using available inputs. Nonlinear dynamic model of the SOFC is used to analyze its steady-state and dynamic behaviour. The obtained results are employed to investigate the controllability properties of the SOFC. To achieve the efficient control system, the control structure of the SOFC is considered.