U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Program Shailesh Vora Technology Manager, Fuel Cells National Energy Technology Laboratory
14th Annual Electric Power Energy Conference University of Pittsburgh Presentation to
October 28, 2019
Fuel Cells Are….. ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Energy conversion devices Highly efficient Modular A family of technologies characterized by the electrolyte:
- Low Temperature
• Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) • Phosphoric Acid (PAFC)
- High Temperature
• Molten Carbonate (MCFC) • Solid Oxide (SOFC)
Balance-of-Plant
Module
Fuel Cell Stacks
Contribution to Cell Performance Cathode: Anode: All other:
Fuel
60% 20% 20%
Air
Balance-ofPlant Power out
Exhaust
Contribution to System Cost
Power to grid
Fuel Cells: 40% Fuel Cell Module: 30% Balance-of-Plant: 30%
SOFC Power System Figure courtesy LG Fuel Cell Systems
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SOFC Program Mission To enable the generation of efficient, low-cost electricity with intrinsic carbon capture capabilities for: • Near term: Natural gas-based distributed generation • Long term: Coal and natural gas utility-scale applications with Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)
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Distributed Generation Technologies 11,000
High Temperature Fuel Cells 10,000
Average Installed Cost , $/kWe
9,000
DG TECHNOLOGY
8,000
Tax Credits and Incentives
7,000
RATED POWER RANGE (kW) LOW
HIGH
Micro-Turbines
65
250
Mini-Turbines
300
3,000
Reciprocating Engines
100
5,000
3,000
Solar PV
100
1000
2,000
High-Temperature Fuel Cells
300
1,200
6,000
Solar PV*
5,000
Micro-Turbines
4,000
NETL 2030 Goal
1,000
Mini-Turbines
Reciprocating Engines
0 20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
Net Electric Efficiency (HHV) % *For non-grid-support applications storage costs (2000 $/kW – 3000 $/kW) may need to be included
60
65
70
SOFC DG System Cost Reduction
via RD&D and high volume manufacturing Applied R&D
14,000
Path to Market
System Specific Cost, $/kWe
12,000
High Volume Manufacturing
No Additional R&D
10,000 8,000
~25 MWe
6,000 2020
4,000
2030
Commercial DG Technologies
2,000
2025
0
0.1
1 10 Cumulative Installed Capacity (MWe)
100
1,000
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SOFC Program Structure Key Technologies TECHNOLOGY AREA
SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS
KEY TECHNOLOGIES
Cell Development
Figure courtesy NETL
Core Technology Figure courtesy LG Fuel Cell Systems
Systems Development Figure courtesy FuelCell Energy
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SOFC Program R&D Approach
• Applied Research
• Cell and Core Technologies • TRL 2 – 5 • Collaboration with an SOFC developer (industry) encouraged
• Development
• State-of-the-Art systems development • Innovative Concepts • TRL 5 – 6
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SOFC Program Funding History
Annual Appropriation, $M
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2017 2018 2019
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SOFC Program Project Portfolio FY19 Participants
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SOFC Program Technology Evolution MODULES
10 kWe-Class Stack Tests
- Improved efficiency, 35 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 41% - Reduced degradation, <2%/1000 hr - Cost target at high volume achieved (extrapolated)
50 MWe UtilityScale Demo (planned)
200 kWe Prototype Field Tests
Cell and Stack Performance Improvements STACKS
- Increased cell area by 5x - Increased cell power by 10x - Degradation reduced to 0.2 - 0.5%/1,000 hrs
Cell Development
CELLS SYSTEMS
- increased power - Established material set - Improved reliability - Reduced cost
Proof-of-Concept Systems
- Two POC systems, 50kW & 200 kW - Efficiency improvements to >55%
Technology Validation 2000
200 kWe POC
(courtesy LG Fuel Cell Systems)
2010
2020
50 kWe POC
(courtesy FuelCell Energy)
2030
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SOFC Program Metrics Metric
Current
System Cost (100 kW- 1MW)
>$12,000/kWe
Single Cell Degradation
0.2 - 0.5% per 1,000 hrs
Cell Manufacturing Approach
2020 Target
2025/2030 Target
$6,000/kWe
$900/kWe
Batch
Semi- Continuous
Continuous
System Degradation
1 – 1.5% per 1,000 hrs
0.5 - 1.0% per 1,000 hrs
<0.2% per 1,000 hrs
Fuel Reformation
Primarily external natural gas conditioning/reforming
100% integrated natural gas reformation inside cell stack
Durability
<2,000 hrs
5,000 hrs
5 years
Platform
Proof-of-Concept
Prototype/Pilot
DG: Utility-scale:
Configuration
Breadboard/Integrated systems
Fully packaged
Fully packaged
Fuel
Natural gas
Natural gas Simulated syngas
Natural gas Coal-derived syngas
Demonstration Scale
50 kWe – 200 kWe
200 kWe – 1 MWe
DG: Utility-scale:
Commercial Pilot
MWe-class 10 – 50 MWe
Single-cell performance and degradation are acceptable; stack and system performance, reliability and endurance need to be demonstrated 11
SOFC Power System FuelCell Energy 200 kW Prototype Field-Test • 200 kWe integrated SOFC Power System • Test site: Clearway Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA • Natural gas fuel • Grid Connected • ~3,000 hours of operation
Fuel Desulfurizer
100kW SOFC Modules Plant Control System
DC/AC Inverter & Transformer
Cathode Air System
Start-Up Water Treatment System
Data Collection Hardware
Photos courtesy FuelCell Energy Fuel Cell Instrumentation
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FuelCell Energy 200 kW Oneline HMI Screen
Current Control: Individual set-point sent to respective Inverter 13
Operation at Clearway Site = Grid Disturbance
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FuelCell Energy Next Generation Stack Technology
Baseline Large Area Stack (LAS): • 76 W/kg • 185 W/L
Compact SOFC Architecture (CSA) Full Height : • 470 W/kg • 780 W/L
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SOFC Program Key Takeaways
• Program emphasizing the resolution of design, operation, and performance considerations at the system level • Acquiring fabricating and operational experience on integrated, prototype field tests based on state-of-theart cell and stack technology • Cell Development and Core Technology research continues and is well aligned with industry need
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For Additional Information
Office of Fossil Energy: NETL Website:
www.energy.gov/fe/office-fossil-energy www.netl.doe.gov/
Dr. Shailesh D. Vora Technology Manager, Fuel Cells National Energy Technology Laboratory U. S. Department of Energy 412-386-7515 Shailesh.Vora@netl.doe.gov
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