Linc Energy and AFC Energy Successfully Test Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology With Underground Coal Gasification
29 June 2010
Linc Energy Limited and AFC Energy, developer of low-cost alkaline fuel cells, have successfully combined syngas from underground coal gasification with the alkaline fuel cell technology to produce electricity at Linc Energy’s Chinchilla Demonstration Facility in Queensland. (Earlier post.)
Linc Energy’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Bond said his company’s exclusive agreement with UK-based AFC Energy for application with UCG and the delivery of an Alpha Unit Hydrogen Fuel Cell to the Chinchilla facility had been completed.
Testing of the Alpha Fuel Cell System will involve Linc Energy using a simple membrane gas separation process upon the UCG gas to ensure a satisfactory hydrogen mix feed gas is available for the Alpha System Fuel Cell.
Initial testing with the hydrogen fuel cell unit at Linc Energy’s Chinchilla Demonstration Facility was performed following successful trials at AFC UK facilities of mock syngas of comparative composition to that generated at the Linc Energy facility.
Further trials will be carried out with the fuel cell system in the coming months however the promising results from this trial has enhanced AFC Energy’s development of the next generation of hydrogen fuel cells for a commercial application, which Linc Energy aims to install at its Chinchilla Demonstration Facility.
I wonder what kind of conversion efficiency they are getting? Otherwise, I don't see this as being anything particularly green as it is still consuming fossil fuels. If however they actually do leave the carbon underground this could be an alternative to CCS.
Posted by: Eletruk | 30 June 2010 at 04:22 PM
If the coal seams cannot be mined otherwise, the efficiency is secondary; what matters is the EROEI.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 30 June 2010 at 06:01 PM