Evaluation of a pilot-scale sewage biogas powered 2.8 kWe Solid Oxide Fuel Cell: assessment of heat-to-power ratio and influence of oxygen content
Biogas from anaerobic digestion of organic matter is a promising renewable energy source and fuel cells appear as a breakthrough technology to improve the performance of the biogas-to-energy valorisation chain. The vast majority of studies addressing biogas energy recovery through Solid Oxide Fuel C...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2015 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/81591 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/81591 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.09.086 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Biogas Solid oxide fuel cells Cogeneration of electric power and heat Renewable energy sources Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas reforming Biogas treatment Heat-to-power ratio Energy valorisation Biogàs Cogeneració de calor i d'electricitat Piles de combustible d'òxid sòlid Energies renovables -- Innovacions tecnològiques Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Energies::Recursos energètics renovables::Biogàs |
| Sumario: | Biogas from anaerobic digestion of organic matter is a promising renewable energy source and fuel cells appear as a breakthrough technology to improve the performance of the biogas-to-energy valorisation chain. The vast majority of studies addressing biogas energy recovery through Solid Oxide Fuel Cells published in recent years correspond to simulations and lab-scale performance with synthetic biogas. This paper assesses the pilot performance of a 2.8 kWe SOFC unit powered with cleaned sewage biogas for around 700 h in a Wastewater Treatment Plant. The biogas thorough treatment consisting of a biological desulphurisation with a biotrickling filter followed by a deep cleaning step based on adsorption is successful for removing sulphur compounds, siloxanes and hydrocarbons. The influence of the heat-to-power ratio on fuel cell performance is investigated operating the system at O/C ratio of 2, reforming temperature of 550 °C, stack temperature of 800 °C and at a constant voltage of 43 V. At optimized conditions for electrical production satisfying heat demand in the WWTP, system electrical and thermal efficiencies account for 34% and 28%. Cogeneration efficiency remains constant at around 59–62% for all the heat-to-power ratios tested. Furthermore, the impact of the oxygen content in the biogas is also studied |
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