Design and Modeling of a Fuel Cell System Using Biomass Feedstock as a Biofuel

Journal article, 2020

This paper aims to model ceramic fuel cell system based on low-temperature planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) different biogases fuels from multiple biomasses, that is, animal waste, redwood, rice husk and sugar cane. Biomass is a better choice for the generation of energy globally. Therefore, there is a focus on the most available biomass resources in the country that can be used as clean energy sources. This developed model is designed by thermodynamic analysis and electrochemical calculations using MATLAB. The designed model is a lumped parameter model based on the steady-state one-dimensional flow. In this model, all calculated power and flow rate values were kept as positive values. Also, the system is considered to be free of leaks, and heat loss is neglected. The operating temperature and pressure are assumed to be 500–700 °C and the partial pressure is set at three different pressures; P1 (1 bar), P2 (2 bar), and P3 (3 bar), respectively, and fuel utilization factor is 80%. It is observed that the best performance is obtained with animal-waste based biogas at 700 °C and P3 (3 bar).