IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v340y2025ics0360544225049151.html

Techno-economic assessment of hythane-fueled industrial SOFC systems

Author

Listed:
  • Styn, Robert
  • Reichelt, Hannes Jakob
  • Peters, Ralf
  • Müller, Thomas Ernst

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems offer high-efficiency conversion of the chemical energy of fuel gases into electrical energy. To meet market and policy targets, such systems must be able of operating on an industrial scale and be compatible with environmentally friendly fuels. This study models the scale-up of a 750 W natural-gas-fueled SOFC to a 240 kW system with various gas-path configurations, evaluating the impact of blending up to 30 vol% of hydrogen (H2) into the methane feed. Aspen Plus simulations, coupled with pressure-loss and carbon-deposition models, were used to optimize recirculation ratio and reactant utilization for maximum efficiency. The parallel configuration achieved the highest electrical efficiency of 64.0 %, while series-connected and intermediate systems suffered from increased pressure losses. H2 admixture simulations confirm that operation is feasible without loss of efficiency in the small- and large-scale systems due to reduced carbon-deposition potential. A techno-economic analysis indicates a 91.7 % cost reduction through scale-up, and a 1.6 % cost increase for adjusting the system to H2 admixtures. The economic viability of the large-scale system was evaluated for all tested fuel compositions (0.201–0.204 €/kWh), with payback times under 20 years at market-relevant electricity prices. These results demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of large-scale, H2-adapted SOFC systems for industrial decarbonization.

Suggested Citation

  • Styn, Robert & Reichelt, Hannes Jakob & Peters, Ralf & Müller, Thomas Ernst, 2025. "Techno-economic assessment of hythane-fueled industrial SOFC systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:340:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225049151
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.139273
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225049151
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.139273?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cinti, G. & Bidini, G. & Hemmes, K., 2019. "Comparison of the solid oxide fuel cell system for micro CHP using natural gas with a system using a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 69-77.
    2. Luca Micoli & Roberta Russo & Tommaso Coppola & Andrea Pietra, 2023. "Performance Assessment of the Heat Recovery System of a 12 MW SOFC-Based Generator on Board a Cruise Ship through a 0D Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-14, April.
    3. Bai, Xingying & Luo, Lizhong & Huang, Bi & Huang, Zhe & Jian, Qifei, 2021. "Flow characteristics analysis for multi-path hydrogen supply within proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    4. Tsiklios, C. & Hermesmann, M. & Müller, T.E., 2022. "Hydrogen transport in large-scale transmission pipeline networks: Thermodynamic and environmental assessment of repurposed and new pipeline configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    5. Othman, Ahmed M. & El-Fergany, Attia A., 2021. "Optimal dynamic operation and modeling of parallel connected multi-stacks fuel cells with improved slime mould algorithm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 770-782.
    6. Davis, M. & Okunlola, A. & Di Lullo, G. & Giwa, T. & Kumar, A., 2023. "Greenhouse gas reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of economy-wide hydrogen-natural gas blending for energy end uses," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    7. Hermesmann, M. & Grübel, K. & Scherotzki, L. & Müller, T.E., 2021. "Promising pathways: The geographic and energetic potential of power-to-x technologies based on regeneratively obtained hydrogen," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    8. van Biert, L. & Visser, K. & Aravind, P.V., 2020. "A comparison of steam reforming concepts in solid oxide fuel cell systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    9. Orlando Corigliano & Leonardo Pagnotta & Petronilla Fragiacomo, 2022. "On the Technology of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Energy Systems for Stationary Power Generation: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-73, November.
    10. Hermesmann, M. & Tsiklios, C. & Müller, T.E., 2023. "The environmental impact of renewable hydrogen supply chains: Local vs. remote production and long-distance hydrogen transport," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    11. Panagi, Kleitos & Laycock, Christian J. & Reed, James P. & Guwy, Alan J., 2019. "Highly efficient coproduction of electrical power and synthesis gas from biohythane using solid oxide fuel cell technology," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    12. Jan Hollmann & Marco Fuchs & Carsten Spieker & Ulrich Gardemann & Michael Steffen & Xing Luo & Stephan Kabelac, 2022. "System Simulation and Analysis of an LNG-Fueled SOFC System Using Additively Manufactured High Temperature Heat Exchangers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-29, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bharati, Seema & Reddy, B. Sai Mukesh & Purohit, Subodh & Kalita, Ibha & Shendage, Dadasaheb J. & Tiwari, Pankaj & Subbiah, Senthilmurugan, 2025. "Modelling and simulation of H2-blended NG powered SOFC for heat and power generation applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 390(C).
    2. Vera Marcantonio & Lucrezia Scopel, 2024. "Thermodynamic Models of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs): A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-29, December.
    3. Kistner, Lukas & Bensmann, Astrid & Hanke-Rauschenbach, Richard, 2022. "Optimal Design of a Distributed Ship Power System with Solid Oxide Fuel Cells under the Consideration of Component Malfunctions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    4. Prestipino, Mauro & Corigliano, Orlando & Galvagno, Antonio & Piccolo, Antonio & Fragiacomo, Petronilla, 2025. "Exploring the potential of wet biomass gasification with SOFC and ICE cogeneration technologies: process design, simulation and comparative thermodynamic analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 392(C).
    5. Jamali, D.H. & Ganzer, C. & Sundmacher, K., 2025. "Hydrogen network topology optimization by MINLP: Comparing retrofit with new-built design scenarios," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 400(C).
    6. Enrico Bocci & Alessandro Dell’Era & Carlo Tregambe & Giacomo Tamburrano & Vera Marcantonio & Francesca Santoni, 2025. "The Development and Evaluation of a Low-Emission, Fuel-Flexible, Modular, and Interchangeable Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System Architecture for Combined Heat and Power Production: The SO-FREE Project," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-31, April.
    7. Hermesmann, M. & Tsiklios, C. & Müller, T.E., 2023. "The environmental impact of renewable hydrogen supply chains: Local vs. remote production and long-distance hydrogen transport," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    8. Mingfei Li & Jingjing Wang & Zhengpeng Chen & Xiuyang Qian & Chuanqi Sun & Di Gan & Kai Xiong & Mumin Rao & Chuangting Chen & Xi Li, 2024. "A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Management in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Focus on Burners, Heat Exchangers, and Strategies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-30, February.
    9. Kim, Dohee & Kim, Taehyun & Kim, Yungeon & Park, Jinwoo, 2025. "Integration of biomass gasification and water electrolysis: Importance of sweep gas selection," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 393(C).
    10. Zhou, Lingfeng & Liu, Jing & Chen, Dihao & Huang, Chengpeng & Fu, Shaohua & Wang, Yanshun & Wang, Junsen & Wang, Jianbo & Cheng, Y. Frank, 2026. "Hydrogen blending into natural gas networks: global practices, infrastructure compatibility, and end-user implications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 402(PC).
    11. Sanghyun Yun & Jinwon Yun & Jaeyoung Han, 2023. "Development of a 470-Horsepower Fuel Cell–Battery Hybrid Xcient Dynamic Model Using Simscape TM," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-22, December.
    12. Haider, Minza & Davis, Matthew & Kumar, Amit, 2024. "Development of a framework to assess the greenhouse gas mitigation potential from the adoption of low-carbon road vehicles in a hydrocarbon-rich region," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 358(C).
    13. Li, Ronghua & Ding, Wu & Huang, Taiming & Xiao, Yufan & Ke, Rongyi & Zou, Pintao & Chen, Yiyu & Wan, Zhongmin & Wang, Xiaodong & Zeng, Wei, 2025. "Optimization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack manifold inlet geometry using velocity-assisted gray wolf optimization algorithm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    14. Guo, Xinru & Guo, Yumin & Wang, Jiangfeng & Meng, Xin & Deng, Bohao & Wu, Weifeng & Zhao, Pan, 2023. "Thermodynamic analysis of a novel combined heating and power system based on low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) and high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    15. Shah, Syed Ale Raza & Zhang, Qianxiao & Abbas, Jaffar & Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel & Pilař, Ladislav, 2023. "Technology, Urbanization and Natural Gas Supply Matter for Carbon Neutrality: A New Evidence of Environmental Sustainability under the Prism of COP26," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    16. Banasiak, David & Kienberger, Thomas, 2024. "A comparative analysis of the economic feasibility of reversible hydrogen systems based on time-resolved operation optimisation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 371(C).
    17. Liang, Jingjing & Zhao, Yi & Wen, Du & Huang, Ye & Han, Minfang & Maréchal, François, 2025. "Reversible solid oxide electrolyser for energy storage: levelized cost of storage estimation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 399(C).
    18. Fan Li & Dong Liu & Ke Sun & Songheng Yang & Fangzheng Peng & Kexin Zhang & Guodong Guo & Yuan Si, 2024. "Towards a Future Hydrogen Supply Chain: A Review of Technologies and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-36, February.
    19. Colelli, Leonardo & Verdone, Nicola & Bassano, Claudia & Segneri, Valentina & Vilardi, Giorgio, 2024. "Optimization of Power to Gas system with cooled reactor for CO2 methanation: Start-up and shut-down tests with Ru-based and Ni-based kinetics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    20. Mei, Shuxue & Lu, Xiaorui & Zhu, Yu & Wang, Shixue, 2021. "Thermodynamic assessment of a system configuration strategy for a cogeneration system combining SOFC, thermoelectric generator, and absorption heat pump," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:340:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225049151. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.