Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is to pursue further reliability enhancements to its 200 kW fuel cell-microturbine hybrid power generation system after the unit reached 3000 cumulative hours of operation at its test site in Japan.
The hybrid system consists of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a micro-gas turbine (MGT) and the latest milestone is unprecedented in Japan, says MHI. The company says that in addition to reliability enhancements, it will also look at downsizing the system and developing it for combined heat and power (CHP) applications.
MHI began developing the hybrid unit at its Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works with the help of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO). In 2007 the system achieved a maximum power generation capacity of 229 kW and a power generation efficiency of 52.1 per cent (LHV).
SOFCs are ceramic-based fuel cells that operate at a high temperature (above 900°C) and produce electricity directly by chemical reaction. In a hybrid system such as MHI’s jigh temperature gas exhausted from the SOFC is used to drive the MGT and generate electricity.
MHI is also investigating the potential of large-scale combined cycle systems incorporating SOFCs.
