Thermodynamic Investigation and Optimization of a Power Generation System Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Using Taguchi Approach

Fuel cells directly convert chemical energy into electrical power using electrochemical reactions. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is one of the high-temperature fuel cells that propose a promising future from the standpoint of power generation. In this study, optimization of an SOFC system is performed using Taguchi approach after verification of the model in compare with experimental results. Current density, inlet temperature of SOFC, and utilization factor are considered as input parameters and the electrical power is selected as the output response. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicate that the current density is the most effective parameter on electrical power which has 52% of contribution followed by inlet temperature of SOFC and utilization factor by 25 and 20% of contributions, respectively. The electrical power enhances by increasing current density and inlet temperature of SOFC and reducing utilization factor. Signal to noise ratio (S/N) analysis elucidate that the current density of 9500 A/m2, the inlet temperature of SOFC of 850 °C, and the utilization factor of 75% is the optimum condition in order to achieve the highest electrical power. The results show that the electrical power is 644.3 kW at the optimum condition.