The Performance of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Integrated with Ethanol Reforming

This study analyzes the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system integrated with different ethanol reforming processes. The main objective is to compare the different reform processes and optimize the dynamic operation of this system, mainly the energy balance. The thermodynamic analysis of the system was performed using Matlab. The simulation results showed that the studied systems are feasible, and the choice of operating parameter is a fundamental step in this process. The electrical performance of the SOFC-SR and SOFC-POX are similar. However, regarding thermal efficiency it was revealed that the SOFC-POX system had a higher efficiency with an increased O/E, decreasing SOFC temperatures.