Abstract
In this chapter, the reader is introduced to solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, the different cell designs involved in SOFCs, the different architectures in which single cells can be made and the different system architectures currently designed with SOFCs. Further, since SOFC is a flex-fuel device, the most promising fuels to be used in SOFC systems for the most promising applications in the next decade are also discussed. Aviation or the aerospace industry is a hard to abate sector in terms of emissions, and there is ample scope for new powertrain designs, electrification architectures and much more that can be accomplished to cut down emissions. SOFCs and systems built around it are one possible choice for several applications in the aerospace industry. Hence, a complete section is dedicated to first discuss the needs of the aerospace industry and then discuss where and how SOFC-based systems can provide a suitable solution.
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Notes
- 1.
LG manufacturers these kind of cells.
- 2.
SOFCMAN, China have reported electrical efficiencies of 72.5% (LHV) for their stacks. The average electrical efficiency for an SOFC stack running on hydrogen is roughly 60%. Elcogen stacks have achieved a world record efficiency of 74%.
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Venkataraman, V. (2022). Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems and Their Potential Applications in the Aviation Industry and Beyond. In: Colpan, C.O., Kovač, A. (eds) Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies in Aviation. Sustainable Aviation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99018-3_8
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