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Item Information   Holdings       More by this author     Schneider, Aaron M.     Subjects     Biogas -- Environmental aspects     Sewage disposal plants -- Biodegredation     Water reuse     Fuel cells     Cogeneration of electric power and heat     Power resources     MSEV Project.     Browse Catalog     by author:      Schneider, Aaron M.       by title:      Production of electr...         MARC Display

Production of electrical energy and heat from fuel cells using bio-gas : Waukesha Wastewater Treatment Facility / by Aaron M. Schneider. by Schneider, Aaron M. Subjects Biogas -- Environmental aspects   Sewage disposal plants -- Biodegredation   Water reuse   Fuel cells   Cogeneration of electric power and heat   Power resources   MSEV Project. Description:  125 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm. Contents:  Thesis advisor(s): Dr. Francis Mahuta, Jr. Committee members: Dr. Carol Diggelman, Dudley Outcalt. Introduction -- Literature review -- Materials and methods -- Data analysis and results -- Conclusions -- Appendices A- 2002 and 2005 Waukesha WWTF operating data B- Bio-gas analysis report C- Waukesha WWTF map D- Proposed fuel cell power plant location E- Energy calculations and cost analysis summary F- Sample calculations G- WE Energies operating data H- Vendor information. Increased environmental restrictions and rising energy costs have reinforced the need to develop technology that can produce electricity from digester gas at a wastewater treatment facility and reduce air emissions of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Fuel cells provide the potential for clean and efficient distributed power by combining hydrogen with oxygen in an electrochemical process to produce electricity, heat and water. They have the ability to exhibit an electrical efficiency in excess of 60 percent and overall energy efficiency of 85 percent when waste heat is recovered in a cogeneration, or combined heat and power, configuration. There are currently six main types of fuel cells; however, molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are practical for wastewater treatment facilities. They can achieve high electrical outputs and don't require significant derating of power output due to the dilute methane content of the digester gas. In addition, the CO2 component in digester gas is beneficial for the cathode reaction in the MCFC. The City of Waukesha's Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) uses anaerobic digestion to reduce volatile solids (VS) and stabilize the biosolids produced. The average bio-gas production at ehe Waukesha WWTF during 2005 was 110,200 cubic feet per day, which results in 2,662,700 Btu/hr of renewable bio-gas energy. Currently, some of the digester gas is used to fire boilers to produce stam for heating, while the rest of the gas is flared to avoid odors. However, at the current rate, Waukesha could install a 250 kW fuel cell to harvest the digester gas produced at the facility. FuelCell Energy, Inc. is a corporation that manufactures MCFCs which can operate on digester gas. They currently have a direct fuel cell (DFC® 300MA) that can produce 250 kW of electrical energy and recover 300,000 Btu/hr of thermal energy while operating on natural gas or digester gas. If the DFC® 300MA fuel cell were implemented into the Waukesha WWTF, there is the potential to produce approximately 1,809,978 kWh/year and 23,717 therms/year of thermal energy for digester heating. In addition, by using the fuel cell as an alternative source of energy, there would be a combined reduction of approximately 5,820,900 lbs. of air and greenhouse gas emissions from WE Energies, the local electrical provider, and the WWTF, in which 5,790,000 lbs. would be CO2. At the current time, installing the DFC® 300MA fuel cell at the Waukesha WWTF is not feasible. The estimated cost of installing fuel cell power plant is $1,260,000, with operating and maintenance (O&M) costs of approximately $25,000 per year ($0.014/kWh). Along with the annual O&M costs, the fuel cell stack module has to be replaced five times during its 30-year life to ensure maximum performance, and this is estimated to cost $300,000 each replacement. In addition, by incorporating the fuel cell into the facility, some of the digester gas previously used as fuel for building and digester heating will be consumed by the fuel cell. As a result, an additional 30,000 therms of natural gas will have to be purchased from WE Energies each year, which will cost an estimated $28,370 per year. Therefore, the net present value (NPV) of installing of the DFC® 300MA fuel cell power plant would be -$1,370,000, assuming an interest rate of 6 percent. The negative NPV suggests that this project is not feasible at the present time, mainly due to the high capital cost of the fuel cell power plant and fuel cell stack module, and the num ber of times the stack has to be replaced over the life of the fuel cell.   Copy/Holding information Location Collection Call No. Status   Walter Schroeder Library Master's Theses AC805 .S3666a 2006 Available Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

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