Case Study

Highly efficient customized heat transfer

The challenge

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) systems require high-performance heat exchangers in a high-temperature environment to generate electricity efficiently.

The most important requirement for the product is maximum efficiency with minimum pressure losses.

The smk solution

Within the framework of the “smk-Powerdays”, in which an interdisciplinary team deals exclusively with the solution of a concrete problem, both the product design and a production layout were developed taking into account the above-mentioned attributes. After conceptualisation and simulation, a first prototype could be built after only ten weeks and made available to the customer for testing.

The successful result

A scalable compact heat exchanger in the power range from 10 – 100 kw, temperature resistant up to 1,000°C.

The tests at the customer’s fully confirmed the product concept: The efficiency of the heat exchanger is 95 % with a pressure loss of 20 mbar. The electrical efficiency of the entire system was increased to over 65 %. The special design of the heat exchanger enables operation even in the low partial load range.