Session: 06-09 Hybrid Electric Propulsion

Paper Number: 151884

Methodology for Exploring SOFC System Layouts in a Highly Integrated Hybrid Propulsion System 

This paper presents a methodology to compare different layouts of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system, focusing on component integration and constraints for low-emission aircraft propulsion. The SOFC system is a subsystem of an Integrated Power and Propulsion System (IPPS) fueled by hydrogen and tightly coupled with a micro gas turbine (mGT). The methodology presented here is applied to the case study of a mGT-SOFC and will later help to define the SOFC system layout for the 1MW+ IPPS of the FlyECO project.

Due to the low power density of current SOFCs designed for stationary applications, technology projections are used to emulate a scenario of entry into service in 2050. Parametric analyses have been performed to consider possible future developments and performance opportunities on the basis of anticipated increases in SOFC power density, which so far could only be implemented on a laboratory scale.

Different SOFC system layouts are defined by assuming different aircraft operating conditions (take-off and cruise) as design point, due to the important impact of ambient pressure and temperature in-flight variation on the SOFC system, the related components and the overall performance. To maximize the synergy between SOFC and mGT, all layouts are based on a pressurized SOFC and include a heat exchanger for heat recovery and flow pre-heating.

The system analysis is performed on the W-TEMP software, varying the hybridization factor of the mGT-SOFC system between 5% and 20%, and comparing its performance to a baseline H₂-fueled mGT. The results obtained for this case study report details on the coupling aspects between the gas turbine and the SOFC system and show clearly the advantages of SOFC‑mGT integration in terms of net efficiency and production of water, which can be used in the combustion chamber of the mGT to limit the formation of NO_x. In conclusion, a procedure to estiamate the mass of the main components in each layout is also presented, to assess how different choices in the design of the mGT-SOFC can affect its weight.

Presenting Author: Dario Buzzola University of Genoa

Presenting Author Biography: Dario Buzzola is PhD candidate of the University of Genoa in Italy. He obtained a Master's degree in Energy Engineering in 2024 and started his PhD in the same year. His research activities focus on the design and simulation of fuel cell systems for sustainable aviation

Authors:

Luca Mantelli University of Genoa
Abhishek Dubey University of Genoa
Dario Buzzola University of Genoa
Mario Luigi Ferrari University of Genoa
Evangelia Pontika Cranfield University
Stefan Kazula German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Daniel Ewald Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Andre Weber Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Stefanie De Graaf German Aerospace Center (DLR)