Thermodynamic Analysis of a Turboprop Engine Equipped With Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

In the present study, a new combined-cycle consisting of a turboprop engine equipped with a solid oxide fuel cell has been analyzed and investigated. In this configuration, after the air inlet, the air compressor, solid oxide fuel cell, combustion chamber, high-pressure turbine, free turbine, and outlet are considered, respectively. In this study, the cycle performance at different turbine inlet temperatures is investigated. Examination of the results shows that the integration of solid oxide fuel cells with turboprop engines will improve the efficiency of this engine. The results of this study show that adding solid oxide fuel cells to the turboprop engine will increase the efficiency of the whole system from 20% in the turboprop engine to 26% in the combined cycle. The results and diagrams also show that the combined cycle generates somewhat more thrust than a real turboprop engine and also provides 50 kWh of aircraft electrical energy.