physics

Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle

Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle rather than just read about it. In short: Lower-temperature fuel cell types such as the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, phosphoric acid fuel cell, and alkaline fuel cell require pure hydrogen as fuel, typically produced from external reforming of natural gas. However, fuels cells operating at high temperature such as the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are not poisoned by carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and in fact can accept hydrogen, carbon monoxide…

Key takeaways

Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lower-temperature fuel cell types such as the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, phosphoric acid fuel cell, and alkaline fuel cell require pure hydrogen as fuel, typically produced from external reforming of natural gas. However, fuels cells operating at high temperature such as the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) are not poisoned by carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and in fact can accept hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, and methane mixtures as fuel directly, because of their internal shift and reforming capabilities. This opens up the possibility of efficient fuel cell-based power cycles consuming solid fuels such as coal and biomass, the gasification of which results in syngas containing mostly hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane which can be cleaned and fed directly to the SOFCs without the added cost and complexity of methane reforming, water gas shifting and hydrogen separation operations which would otherwise be needed to isolate pure hydrogen as fuel. A power cycle based on gasification of solid fuel and SOFCs is called an Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) cycle; the IGFC power plant is analogous to an integrated gasification combined cycle power plant, but with the gas turbine power generation unit replaced with a fuel cell (high temperature type such as SOFC) power generation unit. By taking advantage of intrinsically high energy efficiency of SOFCs and process integration, exceptionally high power plant efficiencies are possible. Furthermore, SOFCs in the IGFC cycle can be operated so as to isolate a carbon dioxide-rich anodic exhaust stream, allowing efficient carbon capture to address greenhouse gas emissions concerns of coal-based power generation.

Process Configuration The IGFC system combines use of SOFCs as a topping cycle to the gas turbine or heat recovery steam generator-based bottoming cycle. Typical major components of the IGFC system, this one centered on a SOFC module running at atmospheric pressure, are identified in the simplified cycle diagram.

The system fuel as depicted is coal, converted to syngas by the gasifier, which is then supplied to the SOFC module after cleanup and pressure reduction. The syngas pressure reduction step is accomplished in this system concept by an expander/generator, which thereby produces part of the cycle's gross power generation. Oxygen for the coal gasification process is provided by a conventional air separation unit, and steam for the gasifier is raised by power system heat and recycled water. Note that the SOFC module is configured to maintain the anode and cathode off-gas streams separated, and the anode off-gas, which contains some electrochemically-unreacted hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is combusted to completion at the oxy-combustor. Maintaining separation of the off-gas streams restricts the large atmospheric nitrogen content to the cathode side, and simplifies the CO2 capture process to anode off-gas cooling, water-vapor condensation, CO2 drying, and CO2 compression. Compressed CO2 is suitable for carbon utilization or storage (CUS) as appropriate. Heat recovered from the anode-side process can be used by a power-generating bottoming cycle consisting of a heat recovery steam generator and steam turbine. On the cathode side, process air for the SOFC electrochemical process and for module cooling is provided by an air blower; heat can be recovered from the hot cathode off-gas stream to preheat the process air as needed, and for the generation of additional power. Due to the inherently efficient SOFC, and to using recovered SOFC exhaust heat to generate additional electric power, an IGFC system is capable of operating at a high electric efficiency that significantly exceeds those associated with conventional pulverized coal and integrated gasification combined cycle power systems. IGFC efficiency margins considered achievable, based upon the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory comparative studies of advanced power systems, are apparent in the table provided in subsequent discussion.

Improvement in the IGFC cycle efficiency is possible by pressurized operation of the SOFCs, as depicted in the diagram of IGFC with pressurized SOFC cycle. The process is basically similar to the atmospheric-pressure cycle, but it would run the SOFC module at elevated pressure, achieving an SOFC voltage boost, and would replace the cathode-side process-air blower with an air compressor. Also, an expander/generator would be installed in the cathode off-gas stream to reduce gas pressures and generate additional power (this tends to drop the temperature of the gases so much that steam generation to run a steam turbine is not a viable option). Optionally, an expander/generator set could also be placed in the anode off-gas stream, just downstream of the oxy-combustor, and ahead of off-gas heat recovery.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle

In research: Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Energy conversion, Power station technology, Thermodynamic cycles, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle in simple terms?

Why does Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Integrated gasification fuel cell cycle.