Performance evaluation of integrated gasification solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine systems including carbon dioxide capture

In this study, system layouts for integrated gasification solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine (IG-SOFC/GT) systems were proposed and their performance was comparatively evaluated. A baseline IGCC was simulated, and the calculation models were validated. Based on the IGCC system, two IG-SOFC/GT system layouts with different SOFC thermal management methods were established, and their performance was analyzed. The IG-SOFC/GT systems were found to produce much higher power and better efficiency than the IGCC. With regard to SOFC thermal management, the exit gas recirculation scheme showed better performance than the cathode heat exchange scheme. The impact of CO2 capture was investigated in both the IGCC and IG-SOFC/GT systems, and the penalties in power output and efficiency due to pre-combustion CO2 capture were found to be milder in the IG-SOFC/GT systems than in the IGCC. An IG-SOFC/GT system adopting oxy-combustion-based CO2 capture was proposed, and its thermal efficiency was predicted to be sensibly higher than the system with pre-combustion CO2 capture. Its net power output was predicted to be less than that of the system with pre-combustion technology, but was still much larger than that of the IGCC with pre-combustion CO2 capture. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.