Combining coal gasification, natural gas reforming, and solid oxide fuel cells for efficient polygeneration with CO2 capture and sequestration

Several polygeneration process systems are presented which convert natural gas and coal to gasoline, diesel, methanol, and electricity. By using solid oxide fuel cells as the primary electricity generator, the presented systems improve upon a recently introduced concept by which natural gas is reformed inside the radiant cooler of a gasifier. Simulations and techno-economic analyses performed for a wide range of process configurations and market conditions show that this strategy results in significant efficiency and profitability improvements when CO2 capture and sequestration are employed. Market considerations for this analysis include variations in purchase prices of the coal and natural gas, sale prices of the products, and CO2 emission tax rates. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.