DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A COGENERATIVE SYSTEM FOR A SOFC CHP100

GTT (Gas Turbine Technologies) and Politecnico di Torino, both located in Torino (Italy), are involved in the design and installation of a cogenerative plant which will use the power and heat produced by the CHP 100 kW_e SOFC Field Unit (Siemens-Westinghouse), which will start the operation in the May 2005 and will supply electric and thermal power to the GTT factory.
The energy will be provided by the plant in three different forms: DC net power, heat for winter heating and cold water for summer conditioning of offices.
The system has been designed with the aim of using the maximum thermal energy recuperated from the exhausts of the cell: in winter the heat will be used to warm some offices rooms, while in summer it will feed an absorption chiller producing cold water for a system of fan-coils. Moreover, the plant has been designed to the highest degree of flexibility, in order to maximise the SOFC energy flows utilization. A better management of the heat, in fact, will make possible a meaningful saving of traditional fuel, thus allowing a lesser emission of polluting substances and a smaller expense for the conditioning of the factory during the whole year.
The aim of this paper is to explain and focus the concept and finality of the solutions for the integration of this new cogenerative engine with the existing factory. The whole plant has been designed in order to allow the achievement of the planned testing activity concerning the cogenerative performance of the system with the SOFC generator running in different conditions (current densities, temperature, etc.). The results of the test activity will supply useful indications about further design and application of cogenerative plants running with a SOFC generator.