By Huntly Thomas

The future energy landscape will make use of a diverse range of fuels, be that for stationary applications such as data centres, utility power, or marine applications for auxiliary or propulsion loads. Various scenarios exist depending on market conditions and practical realities; however, fuels such as natural gas, biogas, methanol, ammonia and e-methane will all play a significant role for many years to come.

Ceres solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems can use all these fuels by reforming them to hydrogen and other molecules for use in the cells. Methane and hydrogen blends are readily reformed, with methanol and ammonia using heat integrated reformers – making use of system heat to maximise efficiency.

These reformed fuels can pass directly to the fuel cell stack without any additional separation. For example, the nitrogen and hydrogen product from an ammonia cracker can pass directly to the fuel cell stack without removing the nitrogen – simplifying the system, reducing the cost and improving overall efficiency.

System developers utilising Ceres SOFC technology can benefit from the Ceres SOFC “sweet spot” operating temperature of 450-630°C – the hot balance of plant can use conventional steels, seals and manufacturing techniques, whilst leveraging system heat to readily develop efficient system variants for different fuels. A unique combination, offering your business the opportunity to adapt as the future energy landscape evolves.