Overview of Fuel-Processing Technologies for Fuel-Cell Power Generation

摘要

An important aspect of the development of fuel cell power generation systems is the choice of fuel processing technologies and the optimum integration of the fuel processor with the fuel cell. The study provides a comprehensive overview of existing and emerging technologies for the generation of synthesis gas from a variety of fuels of increasing complexity, ranging from naphtha to coal. These technologies are evaluated in terms of the fuel cell constraints and the technical objectives of the integrated fuel cell power generation systems. The analysis of the most promising technologies is carried out using representative fuels for each of the following fuel categories: low boiling fuels, distillate fuel oils, high boiling fuels, coal and coal liquids. The most practical technologies for these fuels are highlighted and heat and mass balances for the integated systems presented. From the analysis it is clear that as the fuels become more complex, small scale application of a fuel cell power plant become impractical and development efforts should focus on central power stations. For fuels heavier than No. 2 fuel oil, catalytic fuel processing becomes difficult and is unlikely to be practical in a fuel cell power system. Noncatalytic approaches require bottoming cycles to meet the target heat rates, increasing the complexity of the power plant. (ERA citation 06:032147)