Energy Sustainability through Combined Electric Power Production and Carbon-Dioxide Separation (CEPACS) Systems

摘要

Under a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contract, FuelCell Energy, Inc. has been developing CEPACS (Combined Electric Power and Carbon Dioxide Separation) technology based on a novel solution (US Patent 7,396,603 B2) for greenhouse gas emission reduction from industrial sites. CEPACS uses the Company's well-established internal reforming carbonate fuel cell, the unique chemistry of which offers an innovative approach for separation of CO_2 from flue gases. The system concept works as two devices in one: it separates CO_2 from the exhaust of other plants such as an existing coal-fired plant and simultaneously, using a supplementary fuel, produces environmentally benign electric power at high efficiencies. The objectives of the EPA project are to determine the cost and power impacts of utilizing the CEPACS technology for CO_2 capture from a variety of industrial flue gas sources including refinery operations, cement kilns, and pulp and paper mills. The flue gas composition is one factor which determines the power output from CEPACS. The power output determines the overall cost and the economic feasibility of CEPACS carbon capture. A database of industrial flue gas compositions and trace level contaminants will be compiled to define the flue gas cleanup requirements. Bench-scale single cell tests using simulated flue gases will be conducted to generate cell performance characteristics for system analyses. Capital cost and $/ton of CO_2 removed estimates for various industrial flue gas applications of CEPACS technology will form the important results of the EPA studies.