| Summary: | Ammonia has strong potentialities as sustainable fuel for energy applications. NH<sub>3</sub> is carbon free and can be synthetized from renewable energy sources (RES). In Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, NH<sub>3</sub> reacts electrochemically thereby avoiding the production of typical combustion pollutants such as NOx. In this study, an ammonia-fueled solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) system design is proposed and a thermodynamic model is developed to evaluate its performance. A SOFC short stack was operated with NH<sub>3</sub> in a wide range of conditions. Experimental results are implemented in the thermodynamic model. Electrical efficiency of 52.1% based on ammonia Lower Heating Value is calculated at a net power density of 0.36 W cm<sub>FC</sub><sup>−2</sup>. The operating conditions of the after burner and of the ammonia decomposition reactor are studied by varying the values of specific parameters. The levelized cost of energy of 0.221 $ kWh<sup>−1</sup> was evaluated, as introduced by the International Energy Agency, for a system that operates at nominal conditions and at a reference power output of 100 kW. This supports the feasibility of ammonia-fueled SOFC systems with reference to the carbon free energy market, specifically considering the potential development of green ammonia production.
|
|---|
