Title: Exergoeconomic based multi-objective optimisation of a solid oxide fuel cell system

Authors: Suha Orçun Mert; Zehra Özçelik; Ibrahim Dincer

Addresses: Faculty of Architecture and Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Yüzüncü Yıl University, Zeve Campus, Van TR-65080, Turkey ' Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ege University, Bornova Campus, İzmir TR-35100, Turkey ' Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4, Canada

Abstract: In this study, the multi-objective optimisation of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system by defining the objective functions to maximise the power output, energy efficiency and exergy efficiency, and minimise the cost under various constraints is conducted. In this regard, energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analyses are performed. Some specific cases are considered and studied parametrically by varying practical operating conditions, namely temperature, pressure, current density and stack assembly thickness. An exergoeconomic model is developed for the system and incorporated into the developed computer program MULOP (multi-objective optimiser) which is based on a genetic algorithm to investigate the system parametrically, depending on the multi-objective optimisation of the objective function ratios. The best result obtained for each objective function is 1.65 W for the power produced, 0.242 and 0.269 for both exergy and energy efficiencies, respectively, and 0.0017 $/W for the cost generated.

Keywords: SOFC; solid oxide fuel cells; multi-objective optimisation; energy efficiency; exergy efficiency; exergoeconomics; power output; cost; modelling; temperature; pressure; current density; stack assembly thickness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2014.062906

International Journal of Exergy, 2014 Vol.14 No.4, pp.413 - 429

Received: 30 Jan 2013
Accepted: 08 May 2013

Published online: 02 Mar 2015 *

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