Abstract:
A process models of the shale gas chemical looping reforming to methanol combined with the solid oxide fuel cell for power generation is established by the means of the system decomposition, unit modeling, and process simulation. The technical analysis of the new process is carried out through technical indexes, which consists of four aspects of raw material consumption, product output, process energy consumption, and exergy efficiency. In this paper, the efficient utilization of the shale gas resource was realized through the chemical looping reforming for simultaneously producing the syngas-hydrogen (thereon) syngas used for methanol synthesis. After adjusting the composition of the syngas for methanol production, the remaining hydrogen is fueled to solid oxide fuel cell unit and the purge gas of the methanol synthesis is fueled to chemical looping combustion unit for power generation, by which the self-sufficiency as well as surplus of the electric energy can be achieved. Through the mass and energy integration of chemical looping reforming, chemical looping combustion, methanol synthesis, and solid oxide fuel cell, the technical and environmental performance of the shale gas chemical looping reforming to methanol combined with solid oxide fuel cell process can be significantly improved. This paper also discussed the influences of different methane conversion rates on the technical performance of the new process. Overall, the exergy efficiency of the process with 60.0% methane conversion rate is only 57%, while the exergy efficiency of the process with 80.0%—99.3% methane conversion rate can be as high as 71%—74%.