Bioethanol steam reforming for ecological syngas and electricity production using a fuel cell SOFC system

A power unit constituted by a reformer section, a H2 purification section and a fuel cell stack is being tested c/o the Dept. of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of Università degli Studi di Milano, on the basis of a collaboration with HELBIO S.A. Hydrogen and Energy Production Systems, Patras (Greece), supplier of the unit, and some sponsors (Linea Energia S.p.A., Parco Tecnologico Padano and Provincia di Lodi, Italy). The system size allows to cogenerate 5 kWe (220 V, 50 Hz a.c.) + 5 kWt (hot water at 65°C) as peak output. Bioethanol, obtainable by different non-food-competitive biomass, is transformed into syngas by a prereforming and reforming reactors couple and the reformate is purified from CO to a concentration below 20 ppmv, suitable to feed a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack that will be integrated in the fuel processor in a second step of the experimentation. This result is achieved by feeding the reformate to two water gas shift reactors, connected in series and operating at high and low temperature, respectively. CO

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“…Steam reforming (SR) is an endothermal process [33,34] requiring a heat input. The reaction may be schematically represented as:…”

Section: -Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

5kWe+5kWt reformer-PEMFC energy generator from bioethanol first data on the fuel processor from a demonstrative project

Rossetti

Biffi

Tantardini

et al. 2012

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

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“…L7100, HPLC pump, added with 56 cm 3 /min of N2, used as internal standard, and 174 cm 3 /min of He. Such dilution of the feed stream was calibrated so to keep the reactants mixture in the vapour phase even at zero conversion at the reactor outlet.…”

Section: -Ethanol Steam Reforming (Esr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During activity testing 0.017 cm 3 /min of a 3:1 (mol/mol) H2O:CH3CH2OH liquid mixture were fed to the reactor by means of a Hitachi, mod. L7100, HPLC pump, added with 56 cm 3 /min of N2, used as internal standard, and 174 cm 3 /min of He.…”

Section: -Ethanol Steam Reforming (Esr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

TiO2-supported catalysts for the steam reforming of ethanol

Rossetti

Lasso

Finocchio

et al. 2014

Applied Catalysis A: General

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TiO2 was used as support for Ni, Co and Cu to prepare catalysts for the steam reforming of ethanol, due to its known tendency to form strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) with some metals. The samples were prepared following different procedures, tuning the reducibility of the active phase and its interaction with the support. The latter parameter showed pivotal to impart suitable catalytic activity and most of all stability towards coking. Indeed, the

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“…4 In addition, the high operating temperatures of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) allow operation with many different fuels including biogas, syngas, natural gas, gasoline and even some alcohols. [5][6][7][8] However, this versatility comes at the cost of having to develop SOFC materials capable of withstanding impurities intrinsic to each fuel type. These impurities include, but are not limited to, carbon deposits, sulfur, chlorine, silicon, phosphorus, and mercury.…”

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confidence: 99%

In Operando Vibrational Raman Studies of Chlorine Contamination in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Reeping

Walker

2015

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Vibrational Raman spectroscopy coupled with voltammetry and impedance measurements was used to explore the effects of chlorine on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) performance and durability. SOFC anodes were exposed to 110 ppm dry CH 3 Cl at 650 • C for up to four hours while intermittently exposing the cell to methane for ten minute intervals. In these experiments Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor carbon accumulation kinetics. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) measurements performed under CH 4 following 1 hour of exposure to CH 3 Cl showed marked degradation. This degradation was less apparent when the SOFC was operated with H 2 in the presence of CH 3 Cl. With methane and CH 3 Cl, peak power diminished at a rate of 14% per hour. Observable carbon accumulation during CH 3 Cl exposure became less pronounced over time. Eventually, carbon formation was suppressed completely suggesting that the primary effect of the Cl contaminant was deactivation of the Ni catalyst with respect to CH bond dissociation. SOFC performance with H 2 in the presence of CH 3 Cl remained largely unchanged. Interestingly, these effects of Cl on SOFC performance with methane proved partially reversible as electrochemical performance and carbon accumulation behavior were recovered upon removal of the CH 3 Cl from the fuel feed. Solid oxide fuel cells are electricity-generating devices capable of fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiencies of more than 80% when combined with heating applications.1-3 These efficiencies far outpace even the most modern fossil fuel fired power plants. 4 In addition, the high operating temperatures of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) allow operation with many different fuels including biogas, syngas, natural gas, gasoline and even some alcohols.5-8 However, this versatility comes at the cost of having to develop SOFC materials capable of withstanding impurities intrinsic to each fuel type. These impurities include, but are not limited to, carbon deposits, sulfur, chlorine, silicon, phosphorus, and mercury. Each can cause premature degradation of SOFC materials.6,9-15 Many, if not all, of these impurities have been studied extensively using electrochemical methods. Techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and voltammetry consistently show how exposure to these individual contaminants lead to performance degradation with differing levels of severity and reversibility. However, while the electrochemical results quantify overall cell degradation, direct, in-situ evidence of the mechanisms responsible for diminished performance remain speculative. Coupling electrochemical methods with in-situ optical spectroscopy, such as Raman spectroscopy or XPS, advances understanding of the reactions that occur on the SOFC electrode surfaces as well as how those reactions affect performance. Raman spectroscopy has already shown to be a promising technique for high temperature in-situ characterization of molecules on the surface of an SOFC operating on hydrocarbon ...

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Bioethanol steam reforming for ecological syngas and electricity production using a fuel cell SOFC system

Cited by 53 publications

References 13 publications

5kWe+5kWt reformer-PEMFC energy generator from bioethanol first data on the fuel processor from a demonstrative project

5kWe+5kWt reformer-PEMFC energy generator from bioethanol first data on the fuel processor from a demonstrative project

TiO2-supported catalysts for the steam reforming of ethanol

In Operando Vibrational Raman Studies of Chlorine Contamination in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

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