Low air pre-heat operation of solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells operating with an air pre-heat of about 800 degrees C or above require high temperature heat exchangers and a large excess air flow to remove internally generated heat. Computer simulations show that the air flow requirement can be reduced by pre-heating the air to a lower temperature, if adequate conductive heat transfer within the stack is ensured. Consequently, this option could reduce the capital and running costs of solid oxide fuel cell systems due to the reductions in air pre-heater duty and air flow requirement.