An advanced biomass gasification–proton exchange membrane fuel cell system for power generation

Abstract

Biomass gasification–proton exchange membrane fuel cell (BG–PEMFC) system is of major interest in the context of clean power generation and improving energy efficiency. Based on the previous work [Beheshti SM, Ghassemi H, Shahsavan-Markadeh R. Process simulation of biomass gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. Energy Conversion and Management 2015; 94: 345–352], we developed an Aspen Plus model to simulate the steady-state behavior of an integrated gasification system and a PEMFC stack by coupling Aspen Plus simulator and dedicated FORTRAN subroutines. Effects of critical parameters, including current density, feed gas humidity, equivalence ratio, steam/biomass ratio, and biomass moisture content on the cell potential and gasification efficiency were discussed. The results indicate that the higher feed humidity (cathode humidity) is more favorable for the improvement of voltage output. It is also found that the biomass moisture content has a negative impact on the potential of cell, although it is negligible. Model predictions were compared with experimental data from the literature, which showed fully good agreement.