IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v35y2010i12p4545-4555.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Computer simulation of a biomass gasification-solid oxide fuel cell power system using Aspen Plus

Author

Listed:
  • Doherty, Wayne
  • Reynolds, Anthony
  • Kennedy, David

Abstract

The operation and performance of a SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) stack on biomass syn-gas from a biomass gasification CHP (combined heat and power) plant is investigated. The objective of this work is to develop a model of a biomass-SOFC system capable of predicting performance under diverse operating conditions. The tubular SOFC technology is selected. The SOFC stack model, equilibrium type based on Gibbs free energy minimisation, is developed using Aspen Plus. The model performs heat and mass balances and considers ohmic, activation and concentration losses for the voltage calculation. The model is validated against data available in the literature for operation on natural gas. Operating parameters are varied; parameters such as fuel utilisation factor (Uf), current density (j) and STCR (steam to carbon ratio) have significant influence. The results indicate that there must be a trade-off between voltage, efficiency and power with respect to j and the stack should be operated at low STCR and high Uf. Operation on biomass syn-gas is compared to natural gas operation and as expected performance degrades. The realistic design operating conditions with regard to performance are identified. High efficiencies are predicted making these systems very attractive.

Suggested Citation

  • Doherty, Wayne & Reynolds, Anthony & Kennedy, David, 2010. "Computer simulation of a biomass gasification-solid oxide fuel cell power system using Aspen Plus," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 4545-4555.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:35:y:2010:i:12:p:4545-4555
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2010.04.051
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544210002598
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2010.04.051?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Santin, Marco & Traverso, Alberto & Magistri, Loredana & Massardo, Aristide, 2010. "Thermoeconomic analysis of SOFC-GT hybrid systems fed by liquid fuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 1077-1083.
    2. Karellas, S. & Karl, J. & Kakaras, E., 2008. "An innovative biomass gasification process and its coupling with microturbine and fuel cell systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 284-291.
    3. Komatsu, Y. & Kimijima, S. & Szmyd, J.S., 2010. "Performance analysis for the part-load operation of a solid oxide fuel cell–micro gas turbine hybrid system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 982-988.
    4. Calise, F. & Dentice d’ Accadia, M. & Vanoli, L. & von Spakovsky, Michael R., 2007. "Full load synthesis/design optimization of a hybrid SOFC–GT power plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 446-458.
    5. Cocco, D. & Tola, V., 2009. "Externally reformed solid oxide fuel cell–micro-gas turbine (SOFC–MGT) hybrid systems fueled by methanol and di-methyl-ether (DME)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2124-2130.
    6. Meyer, Lutz & Tsatsaronis, George & Buchgeister, Jens & Schebek, Liselotte, 2009. "Exergoenvironmental analysis for evaluation of the environmental impact of energy conversion systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 75-89.
    7. Lunghi, P. & Burzacca, R., 2004. "Energy recovery from industrial waste of a confectionery plant by means of BIGFC plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(12), pages 2601-2617.
    8. Arpino, F. & Massarotti, N., 2009. "Numerical simulation of mass and energy transport phenomena in solid oxide fuel cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2033-2041.
    9. Calise, F. & Dentice d’Accadia, M. & Palombo, A. & Vanoli, L., 2006. "Simulation and exergy analysis of a hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)–Gas Turbine System," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(15), pages 3278-3299.
    10. Seitarides, Th. & Athanasiou, C. & Zabaniotou, A., 2008. "Modular biomass gasification-based solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) for sustainable development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(5), pages 1251-1276, June.
    11. Hofmann, P. & Panopoulos, K.D. & Fryda, L.E. & Kakaras, E., 2009. "Comparison between two methane reforming models applied to a quasi-two-dimensional planar solid oxide fuel cell model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2151-2157.
    12. Fryda, L. & Panopoulos, K.D. & Karl, J. & Kakaras, E., 2008. "Exergetic analysis of solid oxide fuel cell and biomass gasification integration with heat pipes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 292-299.
    13. Gassner, Martin & Maréchal, François, 2009. "Thermodynamic comparison of the FICFB and Viking gasification concepts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1744-1753.
    14. Franzoni, A. & Magistri, L. & Traverso, A. & Massardo, A.F., 2008. "Thermoeconomic analysis of pressurized hybrid SOFC systems with CO2 separation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 311-320.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Azizi, Mohammad Ali & Brouwer, Jacob, 2018. "Progress in solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid power systems: System design and analysis, transient operation, controls and optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 237-289.
    2. Santhanam, S. & Schilt, C. & Turker, B. & Woudstra, T. & Aravind, P.V., 2016. "Thermodynamic modeling and evaluation of high efficiency heat pipe integrated biomass Gasifier–Solid Oxide Fuel Cells–Gas Turbine systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 751-764.
    3. Rokni, Masoud, 2013. "Thermodynamic analysis of SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell)–Stirling hybrid plants using alternative fuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 87-97.
    4. Khani, Leyla & Mahmoudi, S. Mohammad S. & Chitsaz, Ata & Rosen, Marc A., 2016. "Energy and exergoeconomic evaluation of a new power/cooling cogeneration system based on a solid oxide fuel cell," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 64-77.
    5. Buonomano, Annamaria & Calise, Francesco & d’Accadia, Massimo Dentice & Palombo, Adolfo & Vicidomini, Maria, 2015. "Hybrid solid oxide fuel cells–gas turbine systems for combined heat and power: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 32-85.
    6. Bang-Møller, C. & Rokni, M. & Elmegaard, B., 2011. "Exergy analysis and optimization of a biomass gasification, solid oxide fuel cell and micro gas turbine hybrid system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4740-4752.
    7. Xenos, Dionysios P. & Hofmann, Philipp & Panopoulos, Kyriakos D. & Kakaras, Emmanuel, 2015. "Detailed transient thermal simulation of a planar SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) using gPROMS™," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 84-102.
    8. Chen, Hao & Yang, Chen & Zhou, Nana & Farida Harun, Nor & Oryshchyn, Danylo & Tucker, David, 2020. "High efficiencies with low fuel utilization and thermally integrated fuel reforming in a hybrid solid oxide fuel cell gas turbine system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    9. Jia, Junxi & Li, Qiang & Luo, Ming & Wei, Liming & Abudula, Abuliti, 2011. "Effects of gas recycle on performance of solid oxide fuel cell power systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 1068-1075.
    10. D.F. Chuahy, Flavio & Kokjohn, Sage L., 2019. "Solid oxide fuel cell and advanced combustion engine combined cycle: A pathway to 70% electrical efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 391-408.
    11. Gandiglio, M. & Lanzini, A. & Leone, P. & Santarelli, M. & Borchiellini, R., 2013. "Thermoeconomic analysis of large solid oxide fuel cell plants: Atmospheric vs. pressurized performance," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 142-155.
    12. Rokni, M., 2017. "Addressing fuel recycling in solid oxide fuel cell systems fed by alternative fuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 1013-1025.
    13. Hajimolana, S.A. & Tonekabonimoghadam, S.M. & Hussain, M.A. & Chakrabarti, M.H. & Jayakumar, N.S. & Hashim, M.A., 2013. "Thermal stress management of a solid oxide fuel cell using neural network predictive control," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 320-329.
    14. Prabu, V. & Jayanti, S., 2012. "Underground coal-air gasification based solid oxide fuel cell system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 406-414.
    15. Xu, Han & Dang, Zheng & Bai, Bo-Feng, 2014. "Electrochemical performance study of solid oxide fuel cell using lattice Boltzmann method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 575-583.
    16. Gassner, Martin & Maréchal, François, 2009. "Thermodynamic comparison of the FICFB and Viking gasification concepts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1744-1753.
    17. Rokni, Masoud, 2014. "Biomass gasification integrated with a solid oxide fuel cell and Stirling engine," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 6-18.
    18. Nicolin, Flavio & Verda, Vittorio, 2011. "Lifetime optimization of a molten carbonate fuel cell power system coupled with hydrogen production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 2235-2241.
    19. Roberta De Robbio, 2023. "Micro Gas Turbine Role in Distributed Generation with Renewable Energy Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-37, January.
    20. Rivarolo, M. & Magistri, L. & Massardo, A.F., 2014. "Hydrogen and methane generation from large hydraulic plant: Thermo-economic multi-level time-dependent optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1737-1745.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:35:y:2010:i:12:p:4545-4555. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.