Thermodynamic Model of a Very High Efficiency Power Plant based on a Biomass Gasifier, SOFCs, and a Gas Turbine

P V Aravind (Section Energy Technology, Department of Process and Energy, TU Delft, Leeghwaterstraat 44, 2628 CA Delft)
C Schilt (Section Energy Technology, Department of Process and Energy, TU Delft, Leeghwaterstraat 44, 2628 CA Delft)
B Türker (PPRE, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg)
T Woudstra (Section Energy Technology, Department of Process and Energy, TU Delft, Leeghwaterstraat 44, 2628 CA Delft)

International Journal of Renewable Energy Development
Vol 1, No 2 (2012): July 2012

Thermodynamic calculations with a power plant based on a biomass gasifier, SOFCs and a gas turbine are presented. The SOFC anode off-gas which mainly consists of steam and carbon dioxides used as a gasifying agent leading to an allothermal gasification process for which heat is required. Implementation of heat pipes between the SOFC and the gasifier using two SOFC stacks and intercooling the fuel and the cathode streams in between them has shown to be a solution on one hand to drive the allothermal gasification process and on the other hand to cool down the SOFC. It is seen that this helps to reduce the exergy losses in the system significantly. With such a system, electrical efficiency around 73% is shown as achievable.