Under funding from DOE Award DE-FE0027895, MiTi® is currently conducting Phase II of a program for the design, integration, and testing of four ultrahigh-speed, high-temperature oil-free anode recycle blower (ARCB) test units in a 200 kWe SOFC prototype power plant. In Phase I we demonstrated that the initial prototype ARCB had achieved a TRL-6 and identified areas to reduce cost and improve its design for mass production, and commercialization. The Phase II prototype has been subjected to full operation checkout testing and is expected to achieve TRL-7 after testing in FuelCell Energy Inc.’s 200 kW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power system (funded by the SECA/SOFC program under Award DE-FE0026199).
As a result of its oil-free high temperature capability (up to 180OC) and since it is hermetically sealed, MiTi®’s ARCB offers a maintenance-free, high-reliability, long life option to directly recycle the SOFC anode off-gas, which in turn allows the fuel reforming process to take advantage of the water already present in the stream and eliminates the need for an external water supply. The ARCB also eliminates or reduces the need for other hardware, like ejectors, along with their associated performance penalties, increasing plant efficiency and reducing BOP costs. Additionally, its robust compliant foil bearing (CFB) based design gives the ARCB a long and maintenance-free life.
Test Loop
During the past year, MiTi® designed and commissioned a “test loop” facility for testing ARCBs in realistic operating conditions that are representative of the environment expected in an actual SOFC power plant. To date, the test loop has successfully reached 180 hours of ARCB testing in high temperature environments (100OC, 130OC, and up to 180OC), spanning starts/stops, and a broad sampling of the full SOFC design range of flow and pressure conditions.
