Feasibility analysis of implementation of a Biogas Fed CHP power plant by means of an SOFC system and a solar system a Waste Water Treatment Plant located in Tabriz

The purpose of the present research is to perform the energy analysis of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant using a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) system fed by biogas from a Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) and a solar system. CHP is a reliable and cost-effective option for WWTPs where anaerobic digesters are equipped. Biogas produced in WWTPs can be utilized to fuel a CHP system to produce electricity and useful thermal energy using a variety of prime movers. The thermal energy produced by the CHP system can be used to meet a part of the anaerobic digestion process heat demand in the WWTP digester. In the present study, a steady-state model is developed for the fuel cell simulation and the integrated plant system. Tabriz WWTP is studied in this work. Three SOFC modules produce, in cogeneration mode, 180 kW electricity and 125 kW thermal energy. The results show that supplying a part of the digester heat demand through solar energy can save natural gas combustion in the plant.