Electricity, heat and fuel generation system using fuel cell, bioreactor and twin-fluid bed steam gasifier

A process for producing electrical and thermal energy from carbonaceous materials, comprising the steps of:

• A. providing a molten carbonate fuel cell capable of generating electricity which includes an anode and a cathode spaced apart therewithin;
• B. passing a stream of an compressed oxidizer material including oxygen carbon dioxide into a molten carbonate fuel cell cathode compartment to react with the electrons in the cathode to produce carbonate ions to facilitate the generation of electricity;
• C. passing a stream of fuel gas into a molten carbonate fuel cell anode compartment for reacting thereof with the carbonate ions in the anode to form electrons, carbon dioxide and water vapor therewithin;
• D. passing the electrons from the anode to the cathode through an electrical load to produce electrical power;
• E. exiting an exhaust stream of unused oxidizer material from the solid oxide fuel cell cathode compartment along with a portion of the waste heat generated within the fuel cell;
• F. exiting an exhaust stream of unused fuel gas, carbon dioxide and water vapor material from the solid oxide fuel cell anode compartment along with a portion of the waste heat generated within the solid oxide fuel cell;
• G. directing the cathode compartment exhaust stream into a container, referred to as a combustor, for combusting residual carbonaceous material contained therewithin;
• H. directing the anode compartment exhaust stream into a container, referred to as a gasifier, for gasifying carbonaceous material contained therewithin;
• I. introducing carbonaceous solids, and means of transferring thermal energy into the gasifier, referred to as hot bed material, into the gasifier to react with steam, hydrogen and carbon dioxide contained in the anode compartment exhaust stream to produce a material containing carbon bearing ash, cold bed material, water vapor, carbon dioxide and gaseous hydrocarbons;
• J. exiting an exhaust stream of cold bed material, carbon bearing ash, water vapor and carbon dioxide and gaseous hydrocarbons from the gasifier to a container for separating solids, referred to as a gasifier cyclone separator;
• K. separating the separating the cold bed material and carbon bearing ash from the gasifier exhaust stream in the gasifier cyclone separator and directing the cold bed material and carbon bearing ash to the combustor;
• L. reacting the cold bed material and carbon bearing ash leaving the gasifier cyclone separator with the cathode exhaust stream therewithin the combustor to gasify carbon within the ash and heat the bed material;
• M. exiting an exhaust stream of hot bed material, ash and vitiated oxidizer from the combustor to a container for separating solids, referred to as a combustor cyclone separator;
• N. separating the hot bed material and ash from the vitiated oxidizer in the combustor cyclone separator and directing the hot bed material and ash to a container referred to as a combustor seal leg;
• O. separating hot bed material and ash in the combustor seal leg, then directing the hot bed material to the gasifier;
• P. exiting an exhaust stream of vitiated oxidizer from the combustion cyclone separator;
• Q. exiting an exhaust stream of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons from the exhaust stream of the combustion cyclone separator;
• R. pressurizing and removing heat, moisture, carbon dioxide and other impurities from at least some of the combustion cyclone separator exhaust stream to allow the gases to be used a fuel in the fuel cell;
• S. supplying steam to the fuel cell fuel material to prevent fuel cell fouling and increase reforming operations adjacent to the anode surface of the fuel cell;
• and
• T. heating of at least some of the materials initially passing into the fuel cell with the heat removed from the gasifier and from gases exiting the gasifier to increase the efficiency of operation of the fuel cell
• U. Directing a portion of the carbon dioxide removed from the fuel cell fuel stream to the oxidizer stream to supply carbon dioxide required by the molten carbonate fuel cell.