Due to their useful high temperature exhaust gas, the use of SOFC is advantageous over other FC systems like PEM, making it possible to reduce the nominal electric power and therefore the size and weight of the fuel-cell-based APU for more-electric aircraft when operating in combined heat and power configuration. Moreover, and better, SOFC can be integrated with a gas turbine bottoming cycle to reduce the fuel consumption and weight of the overall system. SOFC's fuel flexibility, that is, their potential possibility (with material improvements) to use hydrocarbons and high energy-density fuels, including jet fuel, represents a big advantage since no significant modifications should be made to current fuel storage and distribution systems and there is no need for large and complex hydrogen storage tanks to be incorporated into the aircraft. A SOFC-based electrical system with current technology would be heavier than traditional systems in the three analyzed aircraft types. However, some realistic improvements with current and nearfutiue technology would reduce the weight of the overall SOFC system making it possible to compare it with traditional-technology systems; this especially in small transport aircraft like the Air Taxi and the Small Commuter. As regards the Regional Jet, the hybrid SOFC/microGT solution seems to be a good choice in terms of efficiency and mass of the overall system. Practical applicability of this configuration is, nevertheless, yet to be proved. Many aspects should still be analyzed, and improvements of the fuel cells and fuel storage systems would need yet to be made before this technology could be able of competing with traditional and long-proven technologies (since security and reliability of every component is a major issue when it comes to aeronautics). Some characteristic conditions of aeronautical applications are new in the field of fuel cells, for long employed in stationary power production and automotive applications.
SOFC-based systems as APU for different aircraft typologies: Feasibility analysis and problems
SOFC-basierende Systeme als APU für unterschiedliche Luftfahrzeugtypologien: Durchführbarkeitsanalyse und Probleme
2007
4 Seiten, 4 Bilder, 6 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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