Dynamic modelling of an Ammonia to Power application athigh efficiency using a solid oxide fuel cell system
Michele Bolognese, Emanuele Martinelli, Luca Pratticò, Matteo Testi
Ammonia is a promising zero carbon and sustainable hydrogen carrier that can be used as a fuel in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) by offering advantages related to the ease of storage and the possibility of being used directly without an external reformer. In this study, a Modelica-based dynamic model of an 'Ammonia to Power' (A2P) system was developed by integrating ammonia decomposition kinetics, electrochemical reactions, all the system-level components and the main control loops. A novel Balance of Plant (BoP) configuration is proposed, featuring a five-way heat exchanger that recovers waste heat primarily using the fuel stream as the thermal energy vector instead of air. The model evaluates transient responses to operational perturbations, the behavior of the different control loops, and recirculation percentage rates to optimize system performance. Efficiency is calculated as the ratio of the power output from the SOFC to the power derived from the fresh ammonia line.
Fuel Cell Modeling and Control
Audi-Max