Assessment of a 6500-Btu/kWh heat rate dispersed generator. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5241727

Patel, P S

The purpose of this study was to assess the technical and economic feasibility of an efficient, modular and environmentally acceptable dispersed generator based on internal reforming molten carbonate fuel cell (IR-MCFC) technology. The IR-MCFC processes and consumes fuels such as natural gas within the fuel cell itself, eliminating the need for external fuel processing reactors, associated heat exchangers and other ancillary equipment thus promising low plant capital cost and high reliability. The close thermal coupling of the fuel processing reaction with the fuel cell (i.e., using cell waste heat directly) also contributes to the high potential efficiency (53% on HHV basis) of this concept. The study resulted in the conceptual design of a 1.8 MW/sub e/ dispersed generator with the following estimated features: 6450 Btu/kWh heat rate using natural gas fuel; $1230/kW/sub e/ (constant 1983 dollars) total plant investment; and modular, factory-assembled plant consisting of four 12 ft. x 40 ft. skids. The status of IR-MCFC is that initial operability has been demonstrated in laboratory and bench-scale cells, and performance is sufficiently promising to warrant engineering development required for utility-sized cells. The results of this study provide performance parameters and cost targets to help guide these development activities.

• Research Organization: Energy Research Corp., Danbury, CT (USA); Fluor Engineers and Constructors, Inc., Irvine, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5241727
• Report Number(s): EPRI-EM-3307; ON: DE84920180
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
FUEL CELL POWER PLANTS
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300501* - Fuel Cells- Design & Development