Open Access

ARTICLE

Recovery of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Waste Heat by Thermoelectric Generators and Alkali Metal Thermoelectric Converters

Wenxia Zhu^*, Baishu Chen, Lexin Wang, Chunxiang Wang

College of Science, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, 163319, China

* Corresponding Author: Wenxia Zhu. Email:

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer 2024, 22(5), 1559-1573. https://doi.org/10.32604/fhmt.2024.047351

Received 03 November 2023; Accepted 21 December 2023; Issue published 30 October 2024

Abstract

A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of a substance into electrical energy through an oxidation-reduction mechanism. The electrochemical reaction of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) generates heat, and this heat can be recovered and put to use in a waste heat recovery system. In addition to preheating the fuel and oxidant, producing steam for industrial use, and heating and cooling enclosed rooms, this waste heat can be used for many more productive uses. The large waste heat produced by SOFCs is a worry that must be managed if they are to be adopted as a viable option in the power generation business. In light of these findings, a novel approach to SOFC waste heat recovery is proposed. The SOFC is combined with a “Thermoelectric Generator and an Alkali Metal Thermoelectric Converter (TG-AMTC)” to transform the excess heat generated by both the SOFC and the TG-AMTC. The proposed TG-AMTC is evaluated using a number of performance indicators including power density, operating temperature, heat recovery rate, exergetic efficiency, energy efficiency, and recovery time. The experimental results state that TG-AMTC has provided an exergetic efficiency, energetic efficiency, and recovery time of 97%, 98%, and 23%, respectively. The study proves that the proposed TG-AMTC for SOFC is an efficient method of recovering waste heat.

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Keywords

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