Power generation system using molten carbonate fuel cell

A power generation system using fuel cells, comprising:

• a plurality of molten carbonate fuel cells, the fuel cells being stacked one after another via separators, each fuel cell having a cathode electrode, an anode electrode and a carbonate-soaked electrolyte tile sandwiched by the cathode and the anode electrodes, oxidant gas being fed to the cathode and fuel gas being fed to the anode;
• cooling plates interposed between predetermined pairs of two adjacent fuel cells, each cooling plate directly contacting the adjacent fuel cells such that heat produced in the fuel cells is directly transferred to the cooling plates;
• passages formed in each cooling plate for allowing raw-material-gas-for-reformation to flow through the passages;
• reforming catalyst placed in the passages such that endothermic reactions take place in the passages as the raw-material-gas-for-reformation is reformed in the passages and whereby heat produced in the fuel cells is absorbed by the endothermic reaction in the cooling plates;
• an external reformer provided outside of the fuel cell stack, the external reformer having a reforming section and a combustion section;
• a stack-cooling-gas line connected to the passages of the cooling plates for introducing the raw-material-gas-for-the-reformation into the passages of the cooling plates;
• a line for gas-for-processing connected to the reforming section of the external reformer for feeding raw-material-gas-for-processing to the reforming section;
• an anode gas feed line for feeding to the anode reformed gas which has been reformed through the passages of the cooling plates and reformed gas which has been reformed by the reforming section of the external reformer;
• an anode exit gas line for feeding anode exit gas to the combustion section of the external reformer;
• a cathode gas feed line for feeding combustion exhaust gas discharged from the combustion section to the cathode with air;
• and
• a cathode exit gas line for discharging the cathode exit gas.