AML:FC

AML:FC

Fuel cell system modelling

Fuel cell system model showing inclusion of fuel processing and ancillary equipment (click to enlarge)

The AML:FC can be used either alone or in conjunction with the gPROMS Process Model Library (PML) for detailed system modelling.

Typical applications

Typical aplications at a flowsheet level are the analysis of interactions between different aspects of the system, typically under transient (dynamic) conditions) – for example:

integration of fuel processing
heat integration
control system design
design and optimisation of operating policy – for example, performance during load change or determining optimal of startup

Power, heat generation and other key variable profiles on startup

Examples

Optimal start-up

The set of plots on the sight (click to enlarge) shows the system behaviour for a 1kW SOFC cell on startup.

The challenge was to optimise the system in order to minimise start-up time within constraints. the plots show optimal start-up profiles for power, heat generation and other variables.

Heat integration

The system flowsheet on the right shows a ~1.5 kW SOFC compact system unit for heat and electric power generation with natural gas feed. It is a consumer product which is effectively a mini-chemical plant that has to run without operators.

Heat integration - click to enlarge

The task was to integrate exhaust burner, fuel cell and feed reformer into a "hotbox". Because of the service requirements, control and dynamic response are critical.

The lower diagram shows an outline schematic of the approach taken to the integration and some stack temperature results with and without radiation taken into account.