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Transition Cycles during Operation of a Reversible Solid Oxide Electrolyzer/Fuel Cell (rSOC) System
Author(s) -
Aicart J.,
Di Iorio S.,
Petitjean M.,
Giroud P.,
Palcoux G.,
Mougin J.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
fuel cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1615-6854
pISSN - 1615-6846
DOI - 10.1002/fuce.201800183
Subject(s) - regenerative fuel cell , renewable energy , energy storage , solid oxide fuel cell , electrolysis , electricity , flexibility (engineering) , work (physics) , environmental science , stack (abstract data type) , process engineering , fuel cells , waste management , nuclear engineering , power (physics) , computer science , chemistry , chemical engineering , anode , electrical engineering , hydrogen fuel enhancement , mechanical engineering , engineering , electrolyte , electrode , physics , thermodynamics , statistics , mathematics , programming language
Reversible high temperature solid oxide cells (rSOC) can be operated both in the fuel cell (SOFC) and the electrolysis mode (SOEC). This specificity is a promising way to either store intermittent renewable energy surpluses by producing H 2 , or generate electricity from H 2 or any other fuel locally available (CH 4 , biogas) when demand overtakes the local production. Therefore, rSOC technology could reinforce autonomy and flexibility in buildings, eco‐districts, up to industrial sites and local energy grids powered by intermittent renewable energies. Such a storage solution complements batteries, displays flexible energy storage durations, from a few hours up to seasonal cycles, and allows decorrelating power and storage capacity. Nonetheless, experiments are needed to assess whether rSOC systems can accommodate the surrounding environment and switch rapidly between various power levels and operating modes. An rSOC system has been built and its ability to operate in both electrolysis and fuel cell modes has been demonstrated. The present work is focused on transitioning between 3 operating modes (SOEC, SOFC operated in H 2 , SOFC operated in CH 4 ), each displaying 3 power levels. The results show that all transition cycles could be done in 3 to 10 min without negatively affecting short term stack performances.