| MISSION: At where Fuel cells are utilized to recover landfill gas? (1) Characterize the gas supply (2) Identify system efficiencies (3) List hardware specifications (i.e. type and size of fuel cell), manufacturer information, etc... (4) Compare your determined efficiencies with the thermodynamic ideal efficiency |
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| Fuel Cell Location |
| Gas Supply |
| System Efficiencies |
| Specifications |
| Efficiency vs. Thermodynamic Ideal |
| Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant |
| Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant in Yonkers, New York |
| anaerobic digester gas (ADG) |
| anaerobic digester gas (ADG) (a.k.a. methane gas produced during sewage treatment) |
| Over 20 tons of the gas have been turned into over 1.2 million kWh of electricity |
| PAFC. Manufactured by ONSI Corp. Produces 170 kilowatts. |
| PAFC. Manufactured by ONSI Corp. Produces 200 kilowatts. |
| Less than ideal. Reciprocating engines are the most widely used LFG electricity generation technology. A reciprocating engine is usually the most feasible and cost-effective technique for landfills in the 1 to 5 MW size range, producing electricity at a cost of approximately 4 to 6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). |
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| REFERENCE 1 |
| Most fuel cells have an ideal efficiency of < about 70% for a hydrogen-oxygen cell and 89% for a methane fuel cell (compare to about 50% ideal efficiency for combustion-type generators- see other sources) Experimental carbon fuel cells claim to approach about 100% efficiency |
| The best experimental (calculated) efficiency ever attained for a production fuel cell is about 55% |
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| REFERENCE 2 |
| REFERENCE 3 |
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