Current status of stationary fuel cells for coal power generation

Fuel cells electrochemically convert chemical energy in fuels into electrical energy(and heat)and so can produce power efficiently with low environmental impact.Applications of fuel cells include stationary power generation,distributed combined heat and power(CHP)and portable power.Recently,research has been conducted on direct carbon fuel cell(DCFC)technology that converts the chemical energy in solid carbon directly into electricity.This article discusses these technologies and their development status.For small-to medium-sized stationary power systems and CHP,the USA ranks first for fuel cell capacity and Japan leads for delivery systems.South Korea is home to the world’s largest fuel cell power plant:the 59-MW Gyeonggi Green Energy park in Hwasung City.Deployment of fuel cell systems is driven by support from governments in the form of tax credits and other incentives.For large stationary power generation,current interest is in integrating a coal gasification process with high-temperature fuel cells(IGFC)to create ultra-high-efficiency,low-emissions power generation systems.The first IGFC demonstration plant with CCS may be in Japan in 2021 as a result of the CoolGen project.DCFC is still in its infancy and far from demonstration.The overall challenges for stationary fuel cells are cost and cell durability.Experience gained from research,designing,building and operating commercially available systems and the IGFC demonstration plant should lead to further development of the technologies and reduced costs,making them a realistic option for power generation.

Clean Coal Technologies in China： Current Status and Future Perspectives

Coal is the dominant primary energy source in China and the major source of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. To facilitate the use of coal in an environmentally satisfactory and economically viable way, clean coal technologies （CCTs） are necessary. This paper presents a review of recent research and development of four kinds of CCTs： coal power generation; coal conversion; pollution control; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. It also outlines future perspectives on directions for technology re search and development （R＆D）. This review shows that China has made remarkable progress in the R＆D of CCTs, and that a number of CCTs have now entered into the commercialization stage.

Assessment of Sustainable Energy Strategy with Long-Term Global Energy Model Incorporating Nuclear Fuel Cycle

This paper investigates long-term energy strategy compatible with significant reduction of world carbon dioxide （CO2） emissions, employing a long-term global energy model, Dynamic New Earth 21 （called DNE21）. The model seeks the optimal energy mix from 2000 to 2100 that minimizes the world total energy system cost under various kinds of energy and technological constraints, such as energy resource constraints, energy supply and demand balance constraints, and CO2 emissions constraints. This paper discusses the results of primary energy supply, power generation mix, CO2 emission, CCS （carbon capture and storage） and total system costs for six regions including world as a whole. To evaluate viable pathways forward for implementation of sustainable energy strategies, nuclear power generation is a viable source of clean and green energy to mitigate the CO2 emissions. Present research shows simulation results in two cases consisting of no CO2 regulation case （base case） and CO2 REG case （regulation case） which halves the world CO2 emissions by the year 2050. Main findings of this research describe that renewable and nuclear power generation will contribute significantly to mitigate the CO2 emission worldwide.

Analysis of the Clean Development Mechanism Considering the Environmental Co-benefits of Reducing Air Pollutants in China

An electricity generation planning model of the six major Chinese power grids was developed based on the General Algebraic Modeling System to evaluate and analyze the CDM （clean development mechanism）, including consideration of the environmental co-benefits of reductions in air pollutants （SO~, NO~ and particulate matter） achieved by advanced electricity generation technologies incorporating CCS （carbon capture and storage）. An objective function was developed that included revenue from sales of electric power, total system cost, the cost of CO2 transport and storage, and emissions reduction co-benefits for SOx, NO~, and particulate matter. The objective function was minimized using an optimization model. We also developed a method for evaluating and analyzing the potential for transferring advanced power generation technologies into the Chinese power system through the CDM. We found that： （1） thermal power generation is predominant in the Chinese electricity system and will remain so for a long time; （2） advanced thermal plants are being installed as a result of the CDM, which contribute to decreasing emissions of CO2 and other air pollutants; and （3） CCS projects have significant potential to reduce substantial and sustained CO2 emissions from the Chinese power and industrial sectors.

CO_(2)Plume Geothermal(CPG)Systems for Combined Heat and Power Production:an Evaluation of Various Plant Configurations

CO_(2) Plume Geothermal(CPG)systems are a promising concept for utilising petrothermal resources in the context of a future carbon capture utilisation and sequestration economy.Petrothermal geothermal energy has a tremendous worldwide potential for decarbonising both the power and heating sectors.This paper investigates three potential CPG configurations for combined heating and power generation(CHP).The present work examines scenarios with reservoir depths of 4 km and 5 km,as well as required district heating system(DHS)supply temperatures of 70℃ and 90℃.The results reveal that a two-staged serial CHP concept eventuates in the highest achievable net power output.For a thermosiphon system,the relative net power reduction by the CHP option compared with a sole power generation system is significantly lower than for a pumped system.The net power reduction for pumped systems lies between 62.6%and 22.9%.For a thermosiphon system with a depth of 5 km and a required DHS supply temperature of 70℃,the achievable net power by the most beneficial CHP option is even 9.2%higher than for sole power generation systems.The second law efficiency for the sole power generation concepts are in a range between 33.0%and 43.0%.The second law efficiency can increase up to 63.0%in the case of a CHP application.Thus,the combined heat and power generation can significantly increase the overall second law efficiency of a CPG system.The evaluation of the achievable revenues demonstrates that a CHP application might improve the economic performance of both thermosiphon and pumped CPG systems.However,the minimum heat revenue required for compensating the power reduction increases with higher electricity revenues.In summary,the results of this work provide valuable insights for the potential development of CPG systems for CHP applications and their economic feasibility.