A new approach to fuel cells turns wastewater into clean water and electricity.

ABSTRACT
Necessity is the mother of invention. Energy crisis is the cry of future. The historical and the present-day civilization are closely interwoven with energy and in future, our e istence will !e more dependent upon energy. The conventional sources of energy, the single most important pre-re"uisite for power generation, are depleting fast. The world is heading towards a glo!al energy crisis mostly due to running out of these energy sources# decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels is

recommended. $et, the sources of energy are infinite. The greatest tas% today is to e ploit the non-conventional energy resources for power generation. &tarting with !rief history of 'uel (ells, this paper presents an innovative emission-offset pro)ect that utilizes anaero!ic digester gas-powered fuel cells to produce electricity. A*+ is primarily a mi ture of gasses which are the !yproducts of anaero!ic decomposition at waste water treatment plants. At many waste water treatment plants A*+ is !eing utilized inefficiently, or not at all. ,f A*+ is released uncom!usted, it significantly contri!utes to the green house effect. This designation necessitates installation of control and monitoring technologies, which can !e very costly. 'uel (ells provide the most effective solution to these pro!lems. They efficiently generate premium "uality electricity and much needed thermal energy, while consuming A*+ and emitting negligi!le amount of regulated pollutions. The paper also presents the main applications of the 'uel (ells. The concept of using fuel cells powered !y hydrogen gas provides the ideal solution to pollution in our world. 'uel cells have !een developed that can !e used for virtually any application re"uiring electrical power or mechanical energy. They are now classified into three !asic categories- porta!le devices, transportation applications, and stationary power.

Introduction
'uel cell may !e defined as an electro chemical device for the continuous conversion of the free energy change in a chemical reaction to electrical energy. 'uel cell systems offers clean and efficient energy production and are currently under intensive development !y several manufacturers for !oth stationary and mo!ile applications. 'uel cells found its first application during the NA&A Apollo moon landing program in the late ./01s. ,t was a logical choice as an energy source. ,t had no moving parts, was compact in size, and was founded with an unlimited !udget. 2owered simply !y hydrogen gas, the fuel cell produced dc power, pure water as its e haust, and heat. The dc supply charged the spacecraft !atteries. The water was used !y the crew and the heat generated !y the fuel cell was re)ected to the void of space. At that time a !rief study was conducted as to how fuel cells could !e used to power homes in the same manner as spacecrafts. The study was very short lived !ut the dream of powering automo!iles and houses using fuel cells was !orn in earnest. 'uel cells, until recently a curiosity largely confined to the space program, are emerging as a valua!le clean and efficient generator of electricity. A num!er of companies are developing fuel cells for use in stationary applications. 3ost of the current applications for fuel cells utilize natural gas as a fuel. ,n certain states, such as New $or% and (onnecticut, fuel cells operating on natural are recognized !y the states as a renewa!le energy source. 4ecently, however, fuel cells, mostly phosphoric acid, have !een shown to operate well on renewa!le !iogas fuels, such as anaero!ic digester gas 5A*+6 produced at wastewater treatment plants as well as landfill gas 57'+6 and gas produced at !eer !reweries.

Wastewater Treatment Facilities Anaero!ic decomposition involves microorganisms that derive energy from meta!olizing organic materials to decompose organic waste at 88T's. ,n the a!sence of o ygen the !yproducts of their meta!olism are car!on dio ide 5(9 6 and
:

methane 5(; 6 plus trace "uantities of other components, such as hydrogen sulfide 5; &6
< :

and organic halides 5mostly chlorides6. A*+ is primarily a mi ture of these gasses 501= methane and <1= car!on dio ide6. A simplified diagram of the 8astewater Treatment process is shown in 'igure. uent (9
Effl :

uent
ry &edi ment ation

; 9 ,nfl
ndary Aero!ic (larifi Treatment catio n

2rima

&eco :

Aero!ic Treatment
:

(; (9
<

&olid &ludge *isposal

Anaero!ic *igestion

A*+ is generally collected and either used as fuel in !oilers to %eep anaero!ic digesters war, flared off, or, in some cases, used in internal com!ustion engines to produce electricity. At many 88T's, A*+ is !eing utilized in efficiently, or not at all. 'or e ample, many facilities are located in temperate climates in which the re"uirement for heat in summer is minimal. ,f A*+ is released uncom!usted, it significantly contri!utes to the greenhouse effect. This occurs principally through emission of methane, which traps at least .1 times as much heat as car!on dio ide. 'or this reason and for odor control, e cess A*+ is typically flared 5!urned6 in flame towers, a process that eliminates

methane emission. ;owever, flaring is only a partial solution, since A*+ com!ustion generates photo reactive ozone precursors, such as nitrogen o ides and volatile organic components. This designation necessitates installation of control and monitoring technologies, which can !e very costly. 'uel cells provide the most effective solution to these pro!lems. They efficiently generate premium "uality electricity and much needed thermal energy, while consuming A*+ and emitting negligi!le amount of regulated pollutions. ,n addition, they permit significant reductions in car!on dio ide emissions compared to flaring. As a result, 88T's are primary candidates for clean distri!uted generation and for win-win partnerships !etween the 88T' operators and utilities. The 2(:>( phosphoric acid fuel cell was modified to operate on A*+. This involved modifications to the cell stac% assem!ly, reformer, thermal management system, piping valves, controls, etc. A*+ differs from pipeline natural gas in the following ways? A*+ contains trace "uantity of sulfur compounds, typically in the form of hydrogen sulfide and organic compounds, which contain chlorine. @oth of these species can react with the catalysts in the reformer system, resulting in deactivation of the catalysts. ? A*+ typically contains 01= methane, while natural gas contains in e cess of />=. This lower methane content of A*+ results in a higher volumetric flow of gas, which can increase system pressure drops. These differences re"uire modification of the 2(:>(, originally designed to operate on natural gas only. These modifications were principally? 3echanical components, such as piping and valves, in the reactive gas supply system were modifiedA enlarged to accommodate the larger volume flow rates resulting from the use of diluted methane fuel. This modification helped reduce system pressure drops. ? An e ternal gas compressor s%id was added to raise the inlet pressure of the A*+ to compensate in part for the increased pressure drops of the diluted fuel. ? An e ternal gas processing unit 5+2B6 was added to remove the hydrogen sulfide contained in the A*+ stream. This +2B consists of a specially treated charcoal, which converts the hydrogen sulfide into elemental sulfur and water. The sulfur is

a!sor!ed on the charcoal, which is then removed on a periodic !asis# the water evaporates into the A*+ stream# and the purified gas is fed to the fuel cell. ? A halide a!sor!er was added internally to the 2(:>( to remove these compounds 5mostly chlorides6. ? 'uel-to-air ratios over the entire operating range were ad)usted within the widerthan-usual !oundaries to compensate for !roader-than-anticipated methane concentration variations in A*+. ? Additional drains were installed in the facility fuel line to remove large amounts of entrained water periodically !loc%ing A*+ supply to the +2B. ? A !lower was installed for lower-than-anticipated A*+ pressure.

'uel cells at 8astewater Treatment 2lants

8astewater treatment plants that utilize the anaero!ic digestion process produce a gas mi ture of a!out 01= methane 5(; 6 and <1= car!on dio ide
<

5(9 6, plus ppm levels of hydrogen sulfide and, in some cases, organic halides 5mostly
:

chlorides6. This gas mi ture, called A*+, may !e utilized in a fuel cell to produce power and heat. ;owever, the sulfur and halide compounds must !e removed to prevent deactivation of certain %ey components ion the fuel cell. An A*+ fuel cell system is shown in the figure. Figure: A*+ fuel cell system schematics.

&B7'B4 '4EE A*+ 5(; A(9 6

<:

(; A(9
<:

; &

A,4 :

& TE A (;A4 *( 3

(;A4 (9A7 (9A7

A*+

@E* C: @E* C.

A( 298E4
'B E 7 ; $ *49 ' BE 7 +E N 4, (; 2 9 8E 4 2 49 ((9 N*, E & & 9 4 (E 7 7 & TA ( D +A & T , 9NE 4

2 98 E 4

A,4

The A*+-powered fuel cells are constructed in three modules- a gas processing unit 5+2B6, a power module, and a cooling module. The +2B module is the uni"ue new component specially developed for this application. The +2B accepts A*+ directly from the anaero!ic digesters and delivers a pretreated gas to the modified power module. The +2B, developed !y BT( 'uel (ells in cooperation with the Bnited &tates Environmental 2rotection Agency, consists of a demister to remove any entrained water and two !eds of specially treated charcoal, which convert the hydrogen sulfide 5; &6 into elemental sulfur and water !y
:

reacting with air, which is fed separately to the unit. The unit utilizes nonregenera!le potassium hydro ide-impregnated redundant activated car!on !eds to remove hydrogen sulfides from A*+. The unit is sized to process A*+ flows of up to <,E11 scfAhr. The two car!on !eds are capa!le of operating for a!out si months with A*+ containing :11 ppm of ; &. Each !ed contains appro imately .,:11 l!s. of car!on. The +2B contains
:

sampling ports so that the ; & content may !e monitored to determine when the !eds
:

need to !e changed. The sulfur is a!sor!ed on the charcoal, which is then removed on a periodic !asis# the water evaporates into the A*+ stream# and the sulfur-free gas is fed to the fuel cell. The unit is designed such that the charcoal in one !ed may !e removed and replaced with fresh charcoal while the second !ed is used to continue to purify the A*+. The chemical reaction that ta%es place in the !ed is ; & 5gas6 F 9 5gas6 G ; 9 5gas6 F & 5solid sulfur6.
: : :

After the A*+ e ists the +2B, it consists of methane, car!on dio ide, and very low levels of organic halides and water. The methane can !e used as a fuel in the power plant# the car!on dio ide merely acts as an inert gas in the system and, therefore, need not !e removed inside the fuel cell prior to reaching those components that they can affect. To achieve this removal, a halide adsorption !ed is added to the fuel processing stream inside the fuel cell power plant, where it is incorporated into the reactant supply system. 2rior to entering this !ed, the organic halide compounds are

converted, inside the power plant, into inorganic halide compounds. These compounds are a!sor!ed onto the halide !ed. A standard 2(:>( power module reactant supply system is sized for natural gas with a nominal heating value of /E1 to .,:11 @TBAscf 5;;H6. The modifications re"uired to operate on A*+ with nominal heating values of >11 to I11 @TBAscf consists primarily of resizing inlet fuel valves and piping to reduce pressure drop and increase fuel flow capacity. 2ower module controller settings are tuned to maintain the appropriate level of process fuel, steam, and !urner air when running on A*+. Additionally, A*+ software modifications are implemented, and a separate natural-gas piping to the reformer start-up !urner is provided. This separate piping will supply natural gas during start-up of the fuel cell. The purified A*+ from the +2B flows to the fuel processor, which consists of a metal vessel containing catalyst. ,n this vessel the methane in the A*+ reacts with steam produced !y the fuel cell stac% to produce a stream consisting mostly of hydrogen and car!on dio ide# the (9 contained in the A*+ does not react !ut
:

passes through as an inert diluent. The hydrogen production reaction is (; 5gas6 F :; 5gas6 G <; 5gas6 F (9 5gas6.
< : : :

The hydrogen is fed to the fuel cell stac% where it reacts electrochemically with air to produce power, water vapor, and heat. A portion of the product water vapor is condensed into a li"uid, vaporized !y cooling the fuel cell stac%, and then used in the fuel processor to react with the methane. Any hydrogen not utilized in the fuel cell stac% 5J>=6 is com!usted to provide the heat re"uired !y the fuel processor. The product water and car!on dio ide are e hausted to the am!ient air. Any fuel cell heat not used to !oil water for the fuel processor is availa!le for use in the 88T process.

The +2B includes the gas analysis unit consisting of a sample pump, regulator, and ; & detector cell. The ; & sensor detects any hydrogen sulfide in
: :

the gas entering the fuel cell, and it provides a signal to the fuel cell controller to initiate an alarm or a safe shutdown !efore damage can occur. The fuel cell stac% dc is converted to <E1 Hac using a static inverter.

Applications of Fuel Cells

The concept of using fuel cells powered !y hydrogen gas provides the ideal solution to pollution in our world. 'uel cells have !een developed that can !e used for virtually any application re"uiring electrical power or mechanical energy. They are now classified into three !asic categories- porta!le devices, transportation applications, and stationary power. 'or porta!le applications such as laptop computers, cameras, and cell phones, direct methanol fuel cells 5*3'(s6 shoe the most promise as future replacements for !atteries. 2otentially, they can store over ten times as much energy as a lithium !attery, which would translate to longer operating times. ,nstead of !eing recharged from plug-in ac adapters, these units would get their charge from small disposa!le cartridges of fuel plugged into the device offering total independence from a wall plug for energy. 'or the *3'(s they !iggest hurdles are size and weight versus !atteries and the amount of heat radiated. These devices are low efficiency# thus, more heat is produced in the energy conversion process. Technology advancements to address these issues are underway and fuel cells may emerge as the energy source of choice for many porta!le power applications.

9ne of the largest efforts in fuel cell development involves the proton e change mem!rane 52E36 type fuel cells for use in automo!iles. 3any demonstration programs have !een accomplished and real promise e ists for significant

levels of automo!ile production using 2E3 fuel cells in hy!rid vehicles. A %ey challenge in any fuel cell program is volume of units !uilt. Economy of scale will drastically lower the cost, say proponents, and lower cost will drive demand. &tationary power application of fuel cells represents the !iggest opportunity for hydrogen to truly impact the worldKs environment. At its ultimate stage of deployment, hydrogen fed fuel cells could produce all of the energy needs of an average residence and eliminate the need for many of the worldKs fossil-fuel power plants. (urrently, molten car!onate fuel cell 53('(6 systems appear to !e the leading contender for this application. They have !een !uilt and demonstrated at :11 %8 levels and are powering dozens of demonstration sites ranging from post offices to personal homes. 3any of these sites use e isting natural gas lines as the energy source. Natural gas is reformed onsite to produce the hydrogen to power the fuel cell. This reforming process does consume electricity and is a %ey issue in designing cost-effective distri!uted energy devices that can serve as onsite commercial and residential power plants. Today a fuel-cell !ased power system is a very e pensive method of producing electricity when the initial costs are amortized into the electricity rate. 2lus, the average operating relia!ility and life of the fuel cell is still an area of concern. All of these issues are !eing addressed !y fuel cell developers and will continue to improve with time. 9ne area of significant advancement is lower-cost power electronics that convert the dc output of the fuel cell to usea!le ac power. These converters ma%e it easy to adapt the fuel cell power system to any country regardless of voltage or fre"uency allowing the production of truly universal power systems.

REFERENCE: ? 'rom ,EEE editions

? William H Ha!t" #r : $Engineering Electromagnetics%" &c'raw(Hill Boo) Compan! ? # B 'upta: $Electric *ower S!stems%" S + +ataria , sons ? S - *illai: $Solid state p.!sics%" New Age International *u/lications ? & 0 1es.pande: $Elements of *ower S!stem 1esign%" W.eeler *u/lis.ing Compan! ? .ttp:22www /ritannica com2/com2e/2article2324"5367"648593:6:647498 .tml ? C ; Wad.wa: $'eneration and <tili=ation of Electrical Energ!%" New Age International *u/lications .