Calculation for physical and chemical exergy of flows in systems elaborating mixed-phase flows and a case study in an IRSOFC plant

The paper deals with the calculation of physical and chemical exergy of flows in systems elaborating mixed-phase flows, such as steam methane reforming and coal gasification systems. The flows involved are mixtures of gases, which can be treated as ideal gases, and steam. The mixtures in which the steam can be treated as ideal gas and those in which the steam cannot be treated as ideal gas are considered separately. As a case study, the calculation is used to evaluate the physical and chemical exergy content of the flows of a system composed by a pressurized internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell (IRSOFC) combined with a gas turbine. Finally, a thermoeconomic analysis of the system is made. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.