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Potentials for Fuel Cells in Refineries and Chlor-Alkali Plants
Date
1986-06Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The market potentials for fuel cell cogeneration
systems in petroleum refineries and chlor-alkali
plants were evaluated. Costs of the total
energy consumed (power plus steam) were calculated
and compared with those for more conventional
cogeneration systems. Questionnaires were sent to
major plants in both industries to determine technical
requirements and data required for the
assessment of the market potential.
The most promising application appears to be in
chlor-alkali plants where the production process is
electricity intensive. Future anticipated changes
in the production process are favorable to the use
of fuel cells. The energy use in refineries is
steam intensive with the required steam pressures
ranging from approximately 15 to 650 psig. The
near-term use of fuel cell cogeneration in
refineries is not as attractive as in chlor-alkali
plants. The phosphoric acid fuel cell is the most
developed and the most cost competitive, but its use
is limited by its being able to produce only low-pressure
steam. Over the longer term, the molten
carbonate and the solid oxide fuel cell, both of
which operate at significantly higher temperatures,
are technically very attractive. However, they do
not appear to be cost competitive with conventional
systems.
Subject
Fuel Cell Cogeneration SystemsPetroleum Refineries
Chlor-Alkali Plants
Market Potential
Economic Competitiveness
Collections
Citation
Altseimer, J. H.; Roach, F. (1986). Potentials for Fuel Cells in Refineries and Chlor-Alkali Plants. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /93069.