Bumhan Fuel Cell Achieves Korea's First Development of 10 kW-Class Cascade SOFC

Achieves 60.8% Power Generation Efficiency

Targeting the AI Data Center Market

Advancing into the Power-Generation Fuel Cell Market through Product Commercialization

Bumhan Fuel Cell (CEO Kim Hyungseok) has developed the "10 kW-class Cascade Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) System," the first of its kind in Korea.

Bumhan Fuel Cell, a company specializing in manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells and building hydrogen refueling stations, announced that it succeeded in this development as part of a national project supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning.

Exterior view of Beomhan Fuel Cell.
[Image source=Beomhan Fuel Cell]

The Cascade SOFC utilizes leftover fuel from the primary stack in a secondary stack, using it once more.

This next-generation, high-efficiency power generation technology maximizes fuel utilization and system efficiency.

Through this research and development, Bumhan Fuel Cell has secured Cascade Hot Box and system technology.

By implementing a 10 kW-class system and achieving a power generation efficiency of 60.8%, the company has proven the technical excellence of its high-efficiency, power-generation SOFC system.

Notably, after the development and commercialization of a 5 kW-class Cascade SOFC system in Japan, the development of a more advanced 10 kW-class SOFC system in Korea for the first time is particularly significant.

Additionally, by actively applying domestic technologies to core components—including stack, fuel reformer, metal separator, heat exchanger, and inverter—the company realized a Cascade SOFC system based on locally produced parts, thus helping to enhance the competitiveness of Korea's SOFC industry ecosystem.

The Cascade SOFC is considered a core technology that, when combined with ceramic proton conductors in the future, could realize an ultra-high-efficiency power generation system with an efficiency of approximately 70%.

A Bumhan Fuel Cell official stated, "The Cascade SOFC is expected to have high applicability in fields requiring high-efficiency power sources, such as fuel cell power plants and data centers. Through the results of this research and development, we plan to commercialize the product and expand our business area into the power-generation fuel cell market, including AI data centers."

With the surge in power demand at data centers driven by the proliferation of AI, securing stable and efficient distributed power sources has emerged as a core challenge for the industry.

Whether Bumhan Fuel Cell can connect this technology development to commercial products and large-scale power generation systems is expected to be a key factor in expanding its power-generation fuel cell business going forward.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.