MCFC control system Design of a Control Unit of a 300 Kv MCFC Cogeneration Plant
Project Description
“Procyon” is a research project with the aim of developing a 300 kV stationary cogeneration plant employing high-temperature fuel cells fed by natural gas, which is built at Campus Palmas Altas, Abengoa‘s headquarters in Seville. Specifically, “Procyon” is based in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), which are high-temperature fuel cells that use an electrolyte composed of a molten carbonate salt mixture suspended in a porous, chemically inert ceramic matrix of beta-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE).
Since MCFCs operate at high temperatures of 650ºC and even above, non-precious metals can be used as catalysts at the anode and cathode, thus reducing costs. Improved efficiency is another reason MCFCs offer significant cost reductions over other fuel cell technologies. Indeed, MCFCs can reach efficiencies approaching 60%, considerably higher than, for instance, 40% efficiency of a phosphoric acid fuel cell plant. Additionally, MCFCs are not prone to poisoning by carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide.
“Procyon” project is undertaken by Hynergreen,which is an Abengoa subsidiary aimed to organize and develop activities and projects connected with electricity production utilizing different technology fuel cells, as well as the production of hydrogen from renewable sources, and the clean and efficient thereof. “Procyon” has also been financially supported by Corporacin Tecnolgica de Andaluca (CTA).
IDENER contributions
IDENER contributions to “Procyon” project, which are carried out in close cooperation with the Andalusian Association for Research & Industrial Cooperation (AICIA), are framed in control sytem development. To that end, the following concepts, devices and technologies are used while following related international standards (UNE EN 60204, 60417, 60445, 60947, 61082, 61131, 61346, 61496, 61508, UNE EN ISO 12100, UNE EN ISO 13849)
Schneider Electric Safety PLC – Modicon Quantum
EPLAN cabinet design and documentation.
Safety relays and IO devices.
Filtering, isolation and signaling adaptation for reliable measurement and actuation.
Turn key work: Design, construction, testing and deployment.
Risk assessment: SIL-2 targeted system
Project Details
CLIENT ABENGOA HYNERGREEN
PARTNERS AICIA; IDENER
https://www.idener.es/?portfolio=procyon
Hydrogen as a fuel
4
August
by Abengoa1 comment Share
Energy security and environmental sustainability
The supply of energy remains one of the recurrent themes of our time. Among the reasons for this debate, two very important issues are worth highlighting: the contribution made to greenhouse gas emissions and the lack of security of supply, due to very heavy reliance on imports from other countries. The use of hydrogen as a fuel offers a solution to these problems.
We all know about hydrogen; it is a gas, a chemical element, the symbol for which is included in the periodic table, and it forms part of the composition of some common substances, such as the water we drink. However, not everyone knows that this gas is a fuel, the use of which only produces water as a waste product, without CO2 emissions or other greenhouse gas pollutants.
It is true that hydrogen does not appear in its pure form in the natural environment; it needs to be produced, and that entails energy expenditure. However, this also comes with a positive consequence: every country, every region, can produce hydrogen by using whichever energy source works best for them. Obviously, opting for renewable energy sources results in the use of hydrogen as fuel being environmentally sustainable, and assures the supply of energy in the area.
“Hydrogen is not found in its pure state in the natural environment; however, it can be produced using a wide variety of energy sources, including renewable
In the case of Spain, which imports the great majority of the fuel it needs for transport, the use of hydrogen, produced locally through renewable energy sources, would undoubtedly improve the economic balance between exports and imports.
Where hydrogen use is concerned, the most efficient method of converting the gas into electrical energy is by harnessing it in fuel cells. In basic terms, these units (fuel cells) facilitate the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to form water, producing, as part of the process, electrical and thermal energy in a very efficient manner.
“ The fuel cells combine hydrogen with oxygen in the air to produce electricity in a clean and efficient manner.
These fuel cells can vary with regard to technology, usually classified according to their electrolyte composition or the temperatures at which they operate; and, as has already been said, together with the hydrogen, they form a perfect partnership. They can be used in diverse systems, for application in the automotive industry (known as “hydrogen vehicles“, which are starting to be seen in the U.S. and Northern Europe), cogeneration plants or the aerospace industry.
Returning to Spain, the possibility of producing our own fuel for use in transport, industry and even our own homes is undeniably attractive. Spain has more than enough capacity to generate the hydrogen required from renewable energy sources, which would not only result in a sustainable and secure energy system but would also generate local jobs, and improve the national economy; what more could one ask?
Javier Brey Snchez
Abengoa Hydrogen General Manager.
by Abengoa
https://www.theenergyofchange.com/hydrogen-as-a-fuel
(Video)
https://youtu.be/fV4kgz-23O0