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European Bio-Energy Projects

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CLEAN<br />

ENERGY<br />

Objectives<br />

There is a very strong interest worldwide in<br />

the development of technologies that allow<br />

the coupling of biomass gasification and<br />

fuel cell systems to have high-energy<br />

efficiency, ultra-clean environmental<br />

performance and near-zero greenhouse gas<br />

emissions. In this field numerous RTD<br />

programs are in progress in U.S.A. and<br />

other countries; this project is addressed<br />

at strengthening the co-operation among<br />

member States of EU, to maintain<br />

competitiveness in the global market.<br />

The technical programme is aimed at<br />

demonstrating the industrial feasibility of<br />

the integration of biomass steamgasification<br />

with a Molten Carbonate Fuel<br />

Cell (MCFC) for clean and renewable power<br />

generation. Achieving the above objectives<br />

involves the assembly and operation of an<br />

integrated pilot plant that includes: a<br />

500 kWth gasifier, a hot gas clean-up<br />

system and a 125 kWe MCFC, as well as<br />

an ancillary work programme focused on<br />

key areas of direct relevance to the<br />

optimisation of the plant performance.<br />

Progress in coupling<br />

biomass gasification and<br />

MCFC stack<br />

Challenges<br />

To improve the efficiency of <strong>Bio</strong>mass Gasification<br />

and Fuel Cell coupling.<br />

To prove the technical feasibility of this integration<br />

by operating a pilot plant which includes:<br />

• a 500 kWth fast internally circulating fluidised<br />

bed (FICFB) gasifier for catalytic biomass<br />

steam-gasification, with ancillary units;<br />

•a gas clean-up system for sulphur and chlorine<br />

compounds removal by adsorption on a basic<br />

powder, and ceramic candle fine particle<br />

filtration;<br />

• a 125 kWe MCFC.<br />

To carry out accompanying research activities<br />

in selected key areas which includes:<br />

• cold modelling studies of the fluid-dynamic<br />

behaviour of the gasifier in the presence of<br />

power load changes at the fuel cell<br />

• development of a comprehensive model for<br />

the gasifier, which combines overall reaction<br />

kinetics and heat transfer processes with<br />

fluidisation dynamics.<br />

• detailed simulation of the whole system and<br />

its components to develop optimal operation<br />

and control strategies.<br />

• catalyst upgrading, characterisation and testing<br />

over a wide range of operating conditions.<br />

To estimate investment and operating costs.<br />

Project structure<br />

The Consortium is composed of universities,<br />

industries and a national research agency. The<br />

University of L’Aquila (Italy), project co-ordinator,<br />

is involved in tasks related to the engineering of<br />

the integrated pilot plant and lab tests of catalytic<br />

steam gasification. The Technical University of<br />

Vienna (Austria) studies the system simulation<br />

68<br />

and performs gasification tests in its 100 kW th<br />

facility. The University College of London (United<br />

Kingdom) is involved in CFD comprehensive<br />

modelling of the fluidised bed gasifier and cold<br />

model tests. The University of Strasbourg (France)<br />

optimises the preparation of a purposely<br />

developed Ni/olivine catalyst and provides it for<br />

tests at process conditions.<br />

The companies are Ansaldo Ricerche S.r.l (Italy)<br />

and Pall - Schumacher GmbH (Germany) involved<br />

in the Hot Gas Clean-Up System (dechlorination<br />

reactor, cyclone and ceramic candle filter) and<br />

Ansaldo Fuel Cell S.p.A. (Italy) which provides the<br />

MCFC stack and designs the fuel cell BoP. The<br />

Italian National Research Agency ENEA assembles<br />

and operates the integrated pilot plant.<br />

Expected impact and exploitation<br />

<strong>Bio</strong>mass-to-electricity systems based on<br />

gasification have a number of potential<br />

advantages. Projected process efficiencies are<br />

much higher than direct combustion systems.<br />

Process efficiencies are comparable to high<br />

efficiency coal-based systems, but can be achieved<br />

at a smaller scale of operation.<br />

Thus, not only does biomass close the carbon<br />

cycle, but gasification based systems, due to<br />

their high efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions per<br />

megawatt of power generated over conventional<br />

biomass power plants.<br />

Fuel cells hold great promise for both stationary<br />

and mobile electric power applications. The energy<br />

efficiency of these systems has been projected<br />

to approach 55% or even higher if cogeneration<br />

opportunities can be utilised. MCFC is a leading<br />

candidate for integration into advanced power

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