Delphi Corp. (Troy, MI) announced that it has proven that its Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), Generation-2, solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) can use coal-derived fuel gas for power. The feasibility study was conducted under Delphi's existing cooperative agreement with the US Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory.
The effort tested whether gas produced from coal can be effectively used in a fuel cell to generate electricity. For the test, a fuel gas cleanup system was added that included both hot gas and cold gas modules and provided fuel to the stack free of sulfur, chlorine, and tar.
Delphi's SOFC fuel cell was heated to an operating temperature of 750°C and then fueled by coal-derived fuel gas. The fuel gas consisted of a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen. The experiment was repeated with a second SOFC stack. The two stacks together operated for a period of more than 75 hours. The test successfully demonstrated that an SOFC fuel cell can generate expected levels of power from coal-derived fuel gas. Additional fuel testing on coal-derived fuel gas is being planned.
