Date of Award
5-1-2025
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Swift, Geoffrey
Abstract
Recent years have seen a push for alternative fuel sources and energy generation systems. These systems must be able both to generate and store large amounts of energy for use in industrial and grid-scale applications. Some of the most separately attractive systems for these applications are held back by their very high operating temperatures. One such system for power generation that has seen extensive research is solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Made practical by recent advancements in materials and manufacturing techniques, SOFCs offer a promising alternative to traditional power generation. For large-scale energy storage, molten sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries have been considered for the availability of their materials, low capital cost, and simplicity. The implementation of both of these technologies is limited by their high operating temperatures. However, this drawback can be mitigated by utilizing these systems together, and their efficiency can even be increased by the use of an additional power cycle or combined heat and power. In this paper, a novel system for the co-utilization of high-temperature energy generation and storage systems will be presented and modeled, and the example application of a small-scale data center will be explored.
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