Abstract
In the present study, the integration of a solid oxide fuel cell with the biomass gasification process in which the torrefied biomass produced in a torrefaction process is used as the feedstock has been investigated. This novel design gives the power generation system the advantage of eliminating the filtration of the fuel cell inlet gas. This is because of the absence of sulfur and its derivatives in the synthesized gas owing to the terrified biomass, as the feedstock of the gasification process. Moreover, the integration of the processes makes it possible to employ the heat recovery methods. Therefore, by using the high-grade thermal energies for preheating process flows, the presented design considers the maximum available heat recovery and minimum heat and mass losses. The optimum design is determined by the sensitivity analysis and then simulated using the ASPEN PLUS software and its performance has been studied. It was specified that in the optimum operation state, the gasifier outlet temperature and pressure are 950 °C and 5 bar, respectively. Also, the oxygen flow rate in the anode of SOFC and the combustion chamber are 3.03 and 0.81 kmol/h, respectively. Moreover, the results showed that the presented design causes an improvement in the performance of the fuel cell. The electrical efficiency and the overall efficiency of the system are determined to be in the range of 63-69% and 80-85%, respectively. Also, it was revealed that the presented design has the power generation capacity of 100 to 997 kW.
Highlights
The drawbacks of fossil fuels especially their pollution has led the worldwide attention to the clean energy sources [1]
Biomass gasification is a chemical conversion technology in which the fuel is converted to a gas mixture called as the Syngas or the synthesis gas [5]
The Gasifier Design The gasification process considered in this study consists of two integrated fluid beds inside the combustion chamber of the biomass
Summary
The drawbacks of fossil fuels especially their pollution has led the worldwide attention to the clean energy sources [1]. The energy sources known as the renewable energies are of the most developed alternatives for the fossil fuels [2]. Different technologies and system designs based on the renewable energies have been developed during past decades [3]. Biomass gasification is a chemical conversion technology in which the fuel is converted to a gas mixture called as the Syngas or the synthesis gas [5]. The gas mixture composition is dependent on different parameters including the fuel, solid wastes, gasifier type, fluid bed, oxygen, steam, and other operating parameters such as the temperature and pressure [6]. By utilizing efficient power generation systems like the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), the performance of a biomass gasification process can be highly improved [8]
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