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Successful trial of underground coal gasification and fuel cells
Fuel Cells, July 14 2010 (The Hydrogen Journal)
- Linc Energy Ltd of Australia, together with AFC Energy of the UK, have completed a successful trial in Queensland, Australia, gasifying coal underground to make coal gas (hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and ethylene) and putting it through a fuel cell to make electricity.
Linc Energy claims to be the world leader in Underground Coal Gasification Technology. AFC Energy claims to be the world's leading developer of low cost alkaline fuel cells.
"This is a major innovation and the first time that a hydrogen fuel cell has been successfully trialled with UCG," says Linc Energy.
"It represents a huge step towards the worldwide opportunity of combining UCG and alkaline fuels cells as a breakthrough technology for creating the cleanest possible power generation from coal."
The trial with real coal gas from underground follows trials in the UK using mock syngas through an AFC fuel cell.
"What is so remarkable about this trial is that the fuel cell configuration was able to produce reliable and efficient clean electricity from a much lower percentage hydrogen content gas than other fuel cells require," Linc Energy says.
"This effectively demonstrates that combining the AFC Fuel Cell technology with hydrogen from Linc Energy's syngas produced from the world-class UCG at Chinchilla is a feasible route to achieve the ultimate in clean electricity from stranded, sub-economic coal, of which there is an abundance in the world."
"This will unlock energy resources and provide energy security to nations in an environmentally sustainable and proficient manner."
Linc Energy plans to combine the project with a gas to liquids plant, making liquid fuels from the coal.
