Ejector Optimization for SOFC Anode Off-Gas Recirculation System

In this study, an ejector was designed to recirculate the anodic off-gas of SOFC, and a parametric study of the system performance was conducted at various ejector entrainment ratios. Aspen Plus, a chemical engineering program, was used to calculate the operational conditions of the ejector. To minimize the calculation load of the CFD and to ensure the global optimum, a genetic algorithm and Kriging model were used for the optimization. The optimization results showed that the dominant design variables of the sonic ejector are the throat diameter and the first flow nozzle position. The designed ejector has enough flexibility for different operating conditions of a 1-kW SOFC system. When the ejector was applied to the SOFC, it reduced 56% of the steam and 8.4% of the fuel compared to the reference case.