Energy recuperation in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and gas turbine (GT) combined system

A combined power generation system consisting of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a gas turbine (GT) with steam and heat recuperation (HR) was evaluated using a commercial process simulation tool, ASPEN Plus. The effect of steam recuperation (SR) on the overall efficiency of the combined system was investigated by comparing the SOFC–GT during heat and steam recuperation (HSR) against the system during only heat recuperation. At low turbine inlet temperatures (TITs), the overall efficiency of the SOFC–GT combined system with heat and steam recuperation improved by showing an increase in TIT and a reduction in pressure ratio (PR). On the other hand, at high TITs, the opposite trend was observed. The integration of steam recuperation was found to improve the overall efficiency and specific power of SOFC–GT combined systems with a relatively compact SOFC component.