In this paper the use of methane and methanol in SOFC-MGT hybrid power plants has been compared. As a matter of fact, SOFC-MGT hybrid plants are a very attractive near term option, as they can allow to achieve efficiencies of over 60–65%, even for small power outputs (200–400 kW). The SOFC systems currently developed are fuelled with natural gas, which is reformed inside the same stack at about 800–900 °C. However, the use of alternative fuels with low reforming temperature (for example, methanol reforms at about 250–300 °C) can lead to enhanced hybrid plant performance. In particular, this paper reports a comparative performance analysis of internally reformed SOFC-MGT power plants fuelled by methane and methanol. Moreover, in the case of methanol use, both internal and external reforming have been compared. The performance analysis has been carried out by considering different values for the most important operating parameters of the fuel cell. The comparative analysis has demonstrated that simply replacing methane with methanol in SOFC-MGT power plants slightly reduces the efficiency. However, the use of methanol in SOFC-MGT power plants with external reforming enhances efficiency significantly (by about 4–5 percentage points). The study shows that the use of methanol with external fuel reforming raises stack efficiency thanks to the improved heat management and to the higher hydrogen partial pressure.
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ASME 8th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis
July 4–7, 2006
Torino, Italy
ISBN:
0-7918-4248-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
SOFC-MGT Hybrid Power Plants Fuelled by Methane and Methanol
Daniele Cocco,
Daniele Cocco
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Vittorio Tola
Vittorio Tola
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Daniele Cocco
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Vittorio Tola
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Paper No:
ESDA2006-95482, pp. 137-147; 11 pages
Published Online:
September 5, 2008
Citation
Cocco, D, & Tola, V. "SOFC-MGT Hybrid Power Plants Fuelled by Methane and Methanol." Proceedings of the ASME 8th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis. Volume 1: Advanced Energy Systems, Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Automation and Robotics, Noise Control and Acoustics, and Systems Engineering. Torino, Italy. July 4–7, 2006. pp. 137-147. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ESDA2006-95482
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