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DEMONSTRATION OF FUEL CELLS TO RECOVER ENERGY FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTER GAS - PHASE I. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, PRELIMINARY COST, AND EVALUATION STUDY
Citation:
Trocciola, J. AND H. Healy. DEMONSTRATION OF FUEL CELLS TO RECOVER ENERGY FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTER GAS - PHASE I. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, PRELIMINARY COST, AND EVALUATION STUDY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-95/034 (NTIS PB95-187381), 1995.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
The report discusses Phase I (a conceptual design, preliminary cost, and evaluation study) of a program to demonstrate the recovery of energy from waste methane produced by anaerobic digestion of waste water treatment sludge. The fuel cell is being used for this application because it is potentially one of the cleanest energy technologies available. This program is focused on utilizing a commercial phosphoric acid fuel cell power plant because of its inherently high fuel efficiency, low emissions characteristics, and high state of development. The environmental impact of widespread use of this concept would be a significant reduction in global warming and acid rain air emissions. The conceptual design of the fuel cell energy system is described, and its economic and environmental feasibility is projected. Technology evaluations aimed at improving the phosphoric acid power plant operation on anaerobic digester gas (ADG) are described, and two options for completing the overall project are described: Option I addresses the technical issues of ADG contaminant removal and improved fuel cell power plant performance on low-Btu fuel, and Option II is a planned 1-year field performance evaluation of the energy recovery concept. The demonstration will document the environmental and economic feasibility of the fuel cell energy recovery concept.