Integrated power generation and chemical production using fuel cells

A method for operating a molten carbonate fuel cell, the method comprising:

• introducing an anode fuel stream comprising reformable fuel into an anode inlet of an anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell;
• introducing a cathode inlet stream comprising CO2 and O2 into a cathode inlet of a cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell;
• operating the molten carbonate fuel cell at a first operating condition to generate electricity, the first operating condition providing a current density of at least about 150 mA/cm2, the first operating condition having a corresponding baseline operating condition;
• generating an anode exhaust from an anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell;
• and
• performing an effective amount of an endothermic reaction to maintain a temperature differential between the anode inlet and the anode outlet of about 80° C. or less,
• wherein operating the molten carbonate fuel cell at the baseline operating condition would result in a temperature increase of at least about 100° C. between the anode inlet and the anode outlet, the baseline operating condition for the molten carbonate fuel cell being defined as an operating condition that is the same as the first operating condition except that the baseline operating condition comprises a fuel utilization of the anode of the molten carbonate fuel cell of about 75% and the anode fuel stream in the baseline operating condition comprises at least about 80 vol % of methane.

A method for operating a molten carbonate fuel cell, the method comprising:

• introducing an anode fuel stream comprising reformable fuel into an anode inlet of an anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell;
• introducing a cathode inlet stream comprising CO2 and O2 into a cathode inlet of a cathode of the molten carbonate fuel cell;
• operating the molten carbonate fuel cell at a first operating condition to generate electrical power at a first power density and waste heat, the first operating condition comprising a first anode inlet temperature, a first anode inlet flow rate, a first anode fuel partial pressure, a first anode water partial pressure, a first cathode inlet flow rate, a first cathode inlet CO2 partial pressure, and a first cathode inlet O2 partial pressure, the first operating condition having a corresponding maximum power operating condition;
• generating an anode exhaust from an anode outlet of the molten carbonate fuel cell;
• and
• performing an effective amount of an endothermic reaction to maintain a temperature differential between the anode inlet and the anode outlet of about 80° C. or less,
• wherein operating the fuel cell assembly at the maximum power operating condition would result in a power density that differs from the first power density by less than about 20%, the maximum power operating condition corresponding to an operating condition that generates the maximum power density for an operating condition that comprises the first anode inlet temperature, the first anode inlet flow rate, the first anode fuel partial pressure, the first anode water partial pressure, the first cathode inlet flow rate, the first cathode inlet CO2 partial pressure, and the first cathode inlet O2 partial pressure.