Direct carbonate fuel cell power plant operating with logistic fuels

In response to the US Department of Defense need for power generators which operate with logistic fuels, Energy Research Corporation and its subcontractors, Haldor Topsoe and Fluor Daniel, have conducted design studies and subscale equipment tests toward the development of fuel cell power plants with multifuel capability. A principal objective of this work was the development of a fixed-base carbonate fuel cell power plant design which can utilize both natural gas and military logistic fuels DF-2 and JP-8. To verify ERC´s technical approach, a 32 kW brassboard logistic fuel preprocessing system was assembled and operated with a direct carbonate fuel cell (DFC) stack. The project was conducted as part of DARPA´s fuel cell power plant initiative program for the development of dual use fuel cell power plants. The logistic fuel preprocessor consisted of a hydrodesulfurization plant which supplied desulfurized feed to an adiabatic prereformer. The methane-rich product gas provides fuel cell performance similar to that with natural gas. A preliminary design of a 3 MW multifuel power plant prepared with input from the 32 kW brassboard test confirmed that the thermal efficiency of a DFC power plant is nearly as high with logistic fuel (57%) as it is with natural gas (58%)