Enhancement of the energy efficiency of hydrogen SOFC system by integrated cold energy utilization and waste heat recovery method

Hydrogen is bridge fuel with high energy content and environmentally friendly to satisfy the stringent IMO regulation relating to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There is growing interest in hydrogen in numerous nations and regions illustrated by an extensive range of research and development in technology. Regarding maritime applications, researchers have recognized the utilization of hydrogen as a fuel for fuel cells, a device that converts the chemical energy of the fuel to electrical energy. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), with high working temperature, is easy to combine with the waste heat recovery cycles/devices to increase output power and thermodynamic performances as well. Furthermore, the cold energy from liquid hydrogen supplied to SOFC can also be used to generate more power. In this study, we proposed a SOFC integrated system with the idea of combining the waste heat recovery from the SOFC exhaust stream and cold energy utilization from LH2. The designation is aimed to target small-scale vessel which uses electric propulsion for short distances voyage.