An experimental investigation into the use of molten carbonate fuel cells to capture CO2 from gas turbine exhaust gases

As part of its climate change mitigation initiative, BP is evaluating technologies for the separation and capture of CO2 from combustion sources, for subsequent geologic storage. Ansaldo Fuel Cells S.p.A. is developing molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) technology targeted at industrial applications from 50 kW to 10 MW. This paper describes the conceptual design of a hybrid MCFC system to generate power and simultaneously capture CO2 from small (<10 MW) gas turbine exhaust streams. Initial modeling studies indicated that a 1.6 MW MCFC could reduce the CO2 emissions from a 4.6 MW gas turbine by 50% on a per kWh basis. Experimental studies are in progress to understand the system behaviour, operating envelope and impact of contaminants. Initial data from these investigations are presented, which confirm that the fuel cell can operate at sub-optimal CO2 levels with limited loss in power and efficiency.