International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.42, No.33, 21215-21225, 2017
Electricity production from lignocellulosic biomass by direct coupling of a gasifier and a Nickel/Yttria-stabilized Zirconia-based solid oxide fuel cell. Part 1: From gas production to direct electricity production
This work presents the direct coupling of a gasification pilot according to the patented concept by S3D Company and of a Ni-YSZ-based SOFC. The composition of gas issued from the gasifier is rather stable, with H-2 approximate to 15%, CO approximate to 15%, CH4 approximate to 1%, CO2 approximate to 20% and N-2 approximate to 49%. Before injecting directly the gas on the cell, a preliminary test of the home-made cell consisting of an industrial Fiaxell Nickel/Yttria-stabilized Zirconia-based anode-electrolyte assembly covered by praseodymium nickelate oxide was performed with H-2-N-2 mixtures. The cell is tested at 750 degrees C and 850 degrees C, with a maximum power density of 1.4 W cm(-2) at 850 degrees C when fueled with a 76%-24% H2-Ar mixture. The effect of the dilution of the gas is also studied, and validates the use of a bag containing the gas issued from the gasifier. In these conditions, using exclusively the fuel issued from biomass, without any additional purification steps, maximum power densities of 340 mW cm-2 and 113 mW cm(-2) can be obtained at 850 degrees C and 750 degrees C respectively. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elesevier Ltd. All right reserved.