Molten carbonate fuel cells for power generation from high-ash Indian coals

The first phase of the study on MCFC at TERI involved the development of a laboratory-scale MCFC single cell, testing its performance with simulated coal gas mixtures and the development of a mathematical model for the purpose of estimating the material and energy requirements of an integrated coal gasification-MCFC (IG-MCFC) system. The results obtained from the monocell indicate that the drop in performance while using simulated coal gas as compared to that using pure hydrogen as the fuel is nominal. Moreover, the efficiency levels predicted by the model indicate that IG-MCFC systems would be attractive for the Indian power sector, as over 60% of the power generation in India is coal-based. The second phase of this work, which is underway and scheduled to be completed by mid-1998, involves the development of a kilowatt level MCFC stack for continued testing with simulated coal gas. The third phase would comprise a field demonstration of a 5-10 kW MCFC stack coupled to an experimental gasifier.