CARBON CAPTURE WITH POWER GENERATION

• US 20110120137A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EGT Enterprise, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EGT Enterprise, Inc.
• Inventors: Ennis, Bernard P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,850,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/780
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/224 Heating fuel before feeding to the burner
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04082 Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0643 Gasification of solid fuel
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/225 Fuel cells in which the fuel is based on materials comprising particulate active material in the form of a suspension, a dispersion, a fluidised bed or a paste
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A power generation system having a carbon production apparatus and a carbon fuel cell to generate electricity. The carbon production apparatus is functionally connected to the fuel cell to provide carbon to the fuel cell to generate electricity. The system is configured to power the carbon production apparatus with a portion of the electricity generated from the fuel cell.

Claims

1. A power generation system comprising:

a carbon production apparatus;

a fuel cell to generate electricity;

the carbon production apparatus functionally connected to the fuel cell to provide produced carbon to the fuel cell to generate electricity;

wherein the system is configured to power the carbon production apparatus with a portion of the electricity generated from the fuel cell.

2. The power generation system of claim 1 configured to combine the generated electricity with intermittent electricity from one or more additional sources to produce optimum dispatch.

3. The power generation system of claim 1 wherein the fuel cell is a direct carbon fuel cell.

4. The power generation system of claim 1 wherein the carbon production apparatus is an ERT system having electric resistance heaters to decompose hydrocarbon gas to hydrogen gas and carbon solids.

5. The power generation system of claim 3 further comprising:

a gas turbine system having a combustor;

wherein the power generation system is configured so the hydrogen gas from the carbon production apparatus is input as fuel to the combustor.

6. The power generation system of claim 1 wherein the ERT system has electric resistance heaters to decompose hydrocarbon gas to hydrogen gas and carbon solids and comprises:

one or more heating zones, wherein each heating zone comprises one or more heating stations and each heating station comprises one or more heating screens followed by a final near-equilibrium attainment zone without additional heat input;

an inlet into a first of the one or more heating zones for input of a gas from which carbon will be formed;

a finishing station for cooling and removal of carbon solids;

an outlet for the output of hydrogen; and

an outlet for the output of the carbon.

7. The power generation system of claim 1 wherein the carbon production apparatus is a delayed coker, coke calciner, or a plasma system.

8. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a gas turbine system having a compressor and combustor;

wherein the power generation system is configured so oxygen-depleted air released from the fuel cell enters the combustor and serves as a diluant/coolant, thereby reducing the load on the compressor.

9. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising a carbon dioxide source wherein the power generation system is configured so the carbon produced by the carbon production apparatus is carried by carbon dioxide from the carbon source to the fuel cell.

10. The power generation system of claim 1 wherein the carbon production system is also configured to produce hydrogen and the power generation system further comprises a gas turbine system, wherein the power generation system is configured so the hydrogen produced is fed into the gas turbine system to produce additional electricity.

11. The power generation system of claim 10 further comprising a combined cycle gas turbine system.

12. The power generation system of claim 10 further comprising a simple cycle gas turbine system.

13. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a gas turbine system having a steam turbine;

wherein the power generation system is configured so heat released from the fuel cell is used as a supplemental source of steam for the steam turbine.

14. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a gas turbine system having a combustor;

a first compressor; and

a second compressor;

wherein the first compressor provides air to the fuel cell and the second compressor provides air to the combustor.

15. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a gas turbine system having a combustor; and

a compressor;

wherein the compressor provides air to the fuel cell and to the combustor.

16. The power generation system of claim 1 wherein the fuel cell is configured to run at greater than atmospheric pressure.

17. The power generation system of claim 16 wherein the fuel cell is configured to run in a pressure range of about 150 psig to about 450 psig.

18. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a carbon sequestration component, a hydrogen sequestration component or both; and

one or more machine readable storage media containing an executable code configured to utilize the sequestered carbon and/or hydrogen to generate power on a variable basis.

19. The power generation system of claim 18 wherein the variable basis is dependent on one or both of electricity rates and fuel prices.

20. The power generation system of claim 1 having a compressor configured to:

compress air;

recover at least some of the heat generated by compressing the air; and

utilize at least some of the recovered heat in the fuel cell to increase electricity production.

21. The power generation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a gas turbine system having a gas turbine and an air compressor that are independently controllable.

22. A method of producing power comprising:

providing a power generation system according to claim 1 having a carbon fuel cell;

providing carbon to the fuel cell to generate electricity;

utilizing a portion of the generated electricity to produce the carbon.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising configuring the power generation system to sequester carbon and/or hydrogen and utilize the carbon and/or hydrogen to generate power on a variable basis dependent on one or both of electricity rates and fuel prices.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

combining the generated electricity with intermittent electricity from one or more additional sources to produce optimum dispatch.

25. A method of reconfiguring a gas turbine power generation system to capture carbon comprising:

providing a carbon production apparatus;

providing a direct carbon fuel cell;

configuring the gas turbine system, carbon production apparatus and fuel cell such that;

carbon from the carbon production apparatus is used by the fuel cell to generate electricity and a portion of the generated electricity is used to power the carbon production apparatus.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the carbon production apparatus is an ERT system having electric resistance heaters to decompose the hydrocarbon gas to hydrogen gas and carbon solids.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the carbon production apparatus is a delayed coker, coke calciner, or a plasma system.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein hydrogen gas is produced by the carbon production apparatus, the method further comprising:

reconfiguring the gas turbine power generation system so hydrogen gas from the carbon production apparatus is input as fuel to a combustor of the gas turbine system.