Simulation of Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Connected to Three-Phase Electrical Power System

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack with a three-phase inverter connected to the electrical grid. The system is simulated, explaining the main components of the system model and all its control methods. This study examines how the voltage and the current of the SOFC stack and the electrical grid react in case the load demand of the electrical grid is changed. The operating temperature of the fuel cell, the number of the fuel cells in the stack, and the value of the hydrogen utilization factor are changed during the study to evaluate the system performance and their effect on the voltage and the current changes, so different case studies are presented and compared. The comparison results in that the operating temperature and the fuel utilization factor are directly proportional to the stack current and inversely proportional to the stack voltage, and the number of the fuel cells in the stack is inversely proportional to the stack current and directly proportional to the stack voltage. The simulation results can be used to develop the control strategies of the SOFC system and the power electronics converters it contains.