Use of Ion Transport Membrane for Oxygen Generation to Enhance the Performance of the Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell System

Abstract

Abstract Carbon capture and storage (CCS) processes have been studied to reduce carbon dioxide in power generation, especially in coal plants because they have been highlighted as the main source of carbon dioxide emission. In this study, the impact of oxygen supply method on the performance of the integrated gasification fuel cell (IGFC) with carbon capture was compared. The target system is based on a solid oxide fuel cell and uses the syngas produced by coal gasification as a fuel. In the reference IGFC, the oxygen required for gasification and oxy-combustion is separated through an air separation unit (ASU). On the other hand, in the system proposed in this study, oxygen is separated through an ion transport membrane (ITM). The temperature and pressure conditions, as well as the purity of the oxygen separated from the ITM, were assumed to be the same as those of the oxygen separated from the ASU, and the composition of the syngas was kept constant. The proposed system indicated a 4.0% increase in output and a 1.6%p increase in efficiency compared to that of the reference IGFC. In addition, performance was analyzed according to the operating condition of the ITM, and the change in performance within its possible operating range was found to be less than 0.3%, which was insignificant.