Thermo-neutral reforming of diesel for auxiliary power unit (APU) application

Fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity through electrochemical reactions, with significant waste heat making the overall system very efficient. Solid oxide fuel cell technology has great potential of its application as auxiliary power unit (APU) for heavy duty vehicles during idling applications. Diesel based SOFC APU units are expected to be about 15-20% more efficient compared to commercially available diesel based APUs resulting in significantly lower CO₂ footprint and lower emissions of criteria pollutants with almost no noise. Thermo-neutral reforming of diesel to produce H₂-rich syngas can be a viable source of fuel for SOFC APU.