Advancing Biogas Utilization through Fuel Flexible SOFC

沼气是将废物转化为能源的一种极好的方法。这是一项重要的技术，在印度农村广泛应用，在英国和欧洲也有许多重要的装置。目前，电力通常是通过热转化从沼气中产生的；然而，这一过程的电效率很低。通过燃料电池技术将沼气转化为电能可以显著提高效率，可能是2倍，因此是一项非常理想的技术。确实存在一些利用熔融碳酸盐燃料电池技术的沼气装置；然而，人们普遍认为固体氧化物燃料电池技术是最有前途的未来技术，因为它具有更高的功率密度和广泛的规模适用性。在这里，我们寻求改善SOFC燃料电极在沼气中运行的性能和耐久性。沼气主要是二氧化碳和甲烷的混合物，含有相当大的硫化氢杂质。在这项研究中，我们研究了一些不同的SOFC概念在与沼气操作直接相关的燃料气体成分中的性能和耐久性。研究的第一个策略将是开发新的钙钛矿和相关材料，用于抗焦化和硫降解的SOFC阳极。第二个要研究的策略是利用质子导电钙钛矿来保护Ni和其他电催化剂不结焦和降解。这些和更多的传统电极将通过复杂的成像技术和电化学性能测试来研究。有希望的概念将被放大到重要的细胞中，即bbb10cm2，并进行严格的测试。测试单元将在不同的气体混合物下进行评估，探测沼气启动时的运行情况，以及利用阳极排气再循环（含蒸汽和额外的二氧化碳）进行内部改造的长期运行情况。在适当的沼气重整装置中，将评估长达1000小时的耐久性，并评估所需的硫洗涤程度（如果有的话）。总的来说，我们寻求可以应用于多千瓦规模的相关分散和孤立操作的解决方案。英国将引领成像和建模、新型阳极和性能测试，而印度将引领质子导电陶瓷和电池制造和规模化；然而，所有活动都涉及重大的跨国活动。两个项目讲习班将在英国举行，两个在印度举行，这些讲习班将与向更广泛的社区开放的培训活动和外联会议联系起来。每位研究人员将在伙伴国实验室进行至少一个月的联合活动。

Biogas provides an excellent means to convert waste to energy. It is an important technology widely applied in rural India with many significant installations also in the UK and Europe. Currently electricity is generally produced from biogas through thermal conversion; however, the electrical efficiency of this process is low. Converting biogas to electricity via fuel cell technology offers significant increases in efficieny, perhaps a factor of 2, and hence is a highly desirable technology. Some biogas installations do exist utiliing molten carbonate fuel cell technology; however, it is widely considered that Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Technology is the most promising future technology due to its much higher power density and its applicability to a wide range of scales. Here, we seek to improve the performance and durability of SOFC fuel electrodes for operation in biogas.Biogas is largely a mixture of CO2 and methane with quite large impurity contents of hydrogen sulphide. In this study, we investigate the performance and durability of some different SOFC concepts in fuel gas compositions directly relevant to biogas operation. The first strategy investigated will be to develop new perovskite and related materials for application as SOFC anodes that are resistant to coking and sulphur degradation. The second strategy to be investigated, relates to the utilisation of proton conducting perovskite to protect Ni and other electrocatalysts from coking and degradation. These and more conventional electrodes will be studied through sophisticating imaging techniques and electrochemcal performance testing. Promising concepts will be scaled up into significant cells, i.e. >10cm2 and rigourous testing performed. Test cells will be made and evaluated under different gas mixes probing both operation on startup in biogas and on prolonged operation utilising anode exhaust recirculate (containing steam and additional CO2) for internal reformation. Durability will be assessed up to 1000 hrs in appropriate biogas reformates and the degree of Sulphur scrubbing required, if any, assessed. Overall we seek solutions that could be applied to multi-kW scales of relevance decentralised and isolated operation.The UK will lead imaging and modelling, new anodes and performance testing, whereas India will lead proton conducting cermets and cell fabrication and scale up; however all activites involve significant cross-national activity. Two project workshops will be held in the UK and two in India and these will be linked to training events and outreach meetings open to the wider community. Each researcher will spend at least one month working in partner country laboratory on joint activity.