Study on the influence of primary Tar and HCl on SOFC performance

Biomass – integrated gasification fuel cell (B – IGFC) systems represent an interesting alternative to state of the art fossil-fuel based power plants due to their high overall efficiency and low emissions in terms of pollutants and greenhouse-gas (GHG). The aim of this study is the improvement of a B – IGFC system, composed by a biomass updraft gasifier, a high temperature gas-cleaning unit (GCU) and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) by acting on overall efficiency, system cost and its complexity. The focus of the study is on the possibility to reform tar internally in the SOFC and on the cross-influence of another contaminant present in syngas, HCl, which may influence SOFC performance and internal reforming. Higher tolerability level might result in less stringent cleaning requirements, thus increasing the system efficiency and reducing its complexity and costs.