Context
SO-FREE is a European project dedicated to the development of a cogeneration system based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), designed to operate with hydrogen, methane, biogas, and their mixtures.
Project Objectives
The project’s objective is to demonstrate a high-efficiency, truly fuel-flexible and stack-agnostic platform capable of integrating different stack technologies while maintaining high performance, reliability, and operational safety. The project also aims to develop innovative solutions for multi-fuel management and the integration of different SOFC technologies within the same platform.
Project Phases
During the project, the following activities were carried out:
- design and development of the cogeneration platform;
- integration of different SOFC technologies;
- development of multi-fuel management solutions;
- experimental validation of the system;
- industrialization activities aimed at scaling up the technology.
ICI Powering Evolution’s Role
ICI Powering Evolution played a central role in the engineering and integration of the entire Balance of Plant, being responsible for:
- system design;
- thermal and fluid management;
- automation;
- control and safety systems;
- assembly;
- experimental validation;
- industrialization activities.
Thanks to this contribution, SO-FREE represents an important milestone in the development of high-efficiency energy systems for the decarbonization of industrial processes and reinforces ICI Powering Evolution’s role as an industrial partner in the development, integration, and scale-up of innovative technologies based on hydrogen and renewable fuels.
