Assessment of the Vehicle Level Impact for a SOFC Integrated With the Power and Thermal Management System of an Air Vehicle

The demand for electrical power onboard aerospace vehicles continues to grow at an accelerating pace. Accompanied with the electrical power is the increase in thermal demands for removing the low quality waste heat from the electrical components and advanced electronics. The increase in thermal demands onboard an aircraft dramatically impact the capability and performance of the air vehicle due to the low coefficients of performance (COP) of aerospace refrigeration systems. The low COP means the system requires a significant amount of work to lift the thermal waste from the aircraft subsystems. This leads to significant demands on the propulsion system and the power and thermal management systems creating a cycle of diminishing returns, which leads to inefficiency and limited capability of future air vehicles. Alternative components and configurations have the potential to increase the efficiency of the power and thermal management system reducing the overall negative impact on air vehicles’ efficiency and capabilities. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) integrated with the power and thermal management system has been investigated. The vehicle level impact of this novel configuration has been assessed along with the dynamic behavior of the SOFC when integrated into these systems. The results provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system.