Recently, the Petrochemical Institute successfully developed China’s first kilowatt-level solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cogeneration system. This system achieves an electricity generation efficiency of ≥40%, steam efficiency of ≥25%, and overall efficiency of ≥80%. It has operated stably for over 1,000 hours, marking the first domestic SOFC cogeneration system capable of high-efficiency power generation and long-term stable operation while producing steam.
Overview of SOFC Technology
SOFC is an advanced fuel cell technology with the following advantages:
- High Electricity Generation Efficiency: Compared to traditional power generation technologies, SOFC offers greater energy conversion efficiency.
- Diverse Fuel Sources: It can utilize hydrogen, natural gas, biogas, biomass gas, refinery tail gas, and industrial flue gas, among other fuels.
- No Precious Metals Required: This reduces costs and simplifies material procurement.
As a crucial technological pathway to achieving carbon neutrality, SOFC has significant application potential. However, due to its high-temperature operation (650–900°C), complex working conditions, and multi-physical field coupling, it imposes high performance requirements on materials. Consequently, its development is significantly more challenging than that of other technologies, such as alkaline fuel cells and proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Currently, SOFC technology has only been promoted and applied in a few developed countries, such as the United States and Japan, while China remains in the stage of transitioning from laboratory research to industrial application.
Application of SOFC in China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)
SOFC technology offers excellent synergy with various CNPC operations, including:
- Distributed Cogeneration: Efficiently utilizing by-product hydrogen and catalytic dry gas resources to enhance electrification rates and reduce carbon emission intensity.
- Off-Grid Power Supply in Specific Scenarios: Providing reliable electricity supply.
- Refinery Decarbonization: High-efficiency power generation that produces high-temperature steam, aiding the green transition in the refining industry.
According to the “14th Five-Year Plan,” the Petrochemical Institute has identified SOFC as a vital research direction in the hydrogen energy field, aiming to enhance the interconnectivity of heterogeneous energy sources such as hydrogen, electricity, and heat, supporting the group’s green and low-carbon development.
Technical Challenges and Team Efforts
The SOFC system consists of key components, including the stack, reformer, combustor, and heat exchanger, which must be efficiently integrated. The level of system integration directly affects the ability to leverage its high-efficiency advantages. In the context of international technological restrictions and an incomplete domestic industrial chain, the Petrochemical Institute’s SOFC team actively responds to CNPC’s significant needs for green transformation. Under the leadership of Zhong Haijun, the team has overcome challenges related to weak foundational research, limited personnel, and heavy tasks, successfully developing core components such as oxygen-rich combustors and integrated heat exchangers. They have also designed a highly compact thermal balance system, achieving multi-condition gas-thermal-electric balance matching.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, the research team will continue to maintain an application-oriented approach, closely aligning with the efficient utilization of hydrogen and hydrocarbon resources from industrial by-product hydrogen and refinery tail gas. They will progressively develop and demonstrate high-power SOFC cogeneration systems, continually enhancing innovation capabilities in new energy technology and promoting high-quality green and low-carbon development.