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SUMMARYIn this article the calculation tool further developed and implemented in Matlab language by the authors was used to determine some optimal operating conditions in electrical and thermal or electrical terms for two different types of hybrid systems: molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC)/gas turbine with their heat recovery system and the hybrid systems operating in these optimal conditions were analyzed. In the heat recovery system, in both cases, a part of the thermal energy of these gases is used to produce the steam necessary for the MCFC system. The remaining thermal energy is used, in one case, for the production of steam at various levels of pressure and temperature, which feeds a steam bottom plant to produce additional electric energy; in the other case, the same thermal energy is used to produce steam for cogenerative use. The heat recovery system was suitably designed according to the circumstances and the performances and the specific CO 2 emissions of the hybrid systems were evaluated.

This article refers to a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) system coupled to a plant with a microgas turbine and a heat recovery system for obtaining a small sized hybrid system in co‐generative arrangement.MCFC are devices capable of concentrating carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in anode exhaust gases. If they are handled conveniently, it is possible to separate and store the surplus CO2 produced by the plant instead of emitting it into the atmosphere.From the simulation model of the MCFC system, previously developed by the authors, a zero‐dimensional and stationary simulation model for the whole hybrid system was formulated and implemented in the same language.By the simulation model of the MCFC system it has been possible to make a parametric analysis of the hybrid plant to find some optimal operating conditions of the fuel cell(s) that maximise the performance of the entire hybrid plant. In addition, the separation of the CO2 surplus produced by the hybrid plant was simulated by the model and then the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the same plant were evaluated.