The waste management and the electric energy storage from intermittent renewable sources have a strategic role in the field of the energy production and environmental protection according to the promotion of the renewable power plants and to the waste treatment with low pollutant emissions. In this paper a novel approach to the electric energy storage of renewable sources by means of the electrolysis process and the energy production by using municipal solid waste as fuel through a gasification process, is presented. Two power plant configurations consisting of an electric power production section, a waste gasification section and a renewable power section are studied. The power section is based on a solide oxide fuel cell power unit and the auxiliary system needed for its operation. This technology is very promising for its high efficiency and for its ability to operate by using syngas with a high methane concentration thanks to the internal reforming. The gasification section is based on the plasma gasification technology that has several advantages in terms of very low concentration of harmful emissions and the better control of produced syngas composition. The plasma gasification uses an external heat source to gasify the waste by means of one or more arc plasma torches that produce a very high temperature plasma gas (temperature in the core of the plasma plume can be greater than 3x104 °C). Suitable plasma gases include argon, hydrogen, nitrogen and their mixtures as well as air and oxygen.The renewable power section is based on a renewable power plant, a high temperature electrolyzer (SOEC, solid oxide electrolysis cell) and a hydrogen/oxygen storage system. The oxygen and the hydrogen are used or as plasma gas in the gasification section or as additional streams in the anodic and cathodic flows of the power section. The option of using these streams from the renewable energy storage system in the gasification section or in the fuel cell power section is an interesting solution for increasing the share of electricity from renewable power plants, with the aim to overcome the major obstacles to their extensive penetration into the grid mainly caused by the itermittency of the sources. The analysis has been carried out by using numerical models that have allowed to evaluate the systems performance in term of electric efficiency and capability to realize the storage of renewable energy source.

Plasma gasification and Fuel Cells technology for Waste to Energy power plants: models development and performance comparison

PERNA, Alessandra;
2016-01-01

Abstract

The waste management and the electric energy storage from intermittent renewable sources have a strategic role in the field of the energy production and environmental protection according to the promotion of the renewable power plants and to the waste treatment with low pollutant emissions. In this paper a novel approach to the electric energy storage of renewable sources by means of the electrolysis process and the energy production by using municipal solid waste as fuel through a gasification process, is presented. Two power plant configurations consisting of an electric power production section, a waste gasification section and a renewable power section are studied. The power section is based on a solide oxide fuel cell power unit and the auxiliary system needed for its operation. This technology is very promising for its high efficiency and for its ability to operate by using syngas with a high methane concentration thanks to the internal reforming. The gasification section is based on the plasma gasification technology that has several advantages in terms of very low concentration of harmful emissions and the better control of produced syngas composition. The plasma gasification uses an external heat source to gasify the waste by means of one or more arc plasma torches that produce a very high temperature plasma gas (temperature in the core of the plasma plume can be greater than 3x104 °C). Suitable plasma gases include argon, hydrogen, nitrogen and their mixtures as well as air and oxygen.The renewable power section is based on a renewable power plant, a high temperature electrolyzer (SOEC, solid oxide electrolysis cell) and a hydrogen/oxygen storage system. The oxygen and the hydrogen are used or as plasma gas in the gasification section or as additional streams in the anodic and cathodic flows of the power section. The option of using these streams from the renewable energy storage system in the gasification section or in the fuel cell power section is an interesting solution for increasing the share of electricity from renewable power plants, with the aim to overcome the major obstacles to their extensive penetration into the grid mainly caused by the itermittency of the sources. The analysis has been carried out by using numerical models that have allowed to evaluate the systems performance in term of electric efficiency and capability to realize the storage of renewable energy source.
2016
9788862650090
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11580/59371
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