Integrated Heat Recovery System Based on Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conducting Membrane for Improved Solid Oxide...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Energy Systems

Background:

• Mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) ceramic membranes show promise for applications like solid oxide electrolyzers and oxygen separation.
• Optimal conditions for oxygen separation align with anode off-gas from solid oxide co-electrolyzers.
• Current systems may lack integrated heat recovery and efficient gas recirculation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and analyze a novel integrated heat recovery system utilizing MIEC membranes.
• To improve the efficiency of oxygen separation from solid oxide electrolyzer anode streams.
• To demonstrate performance enhancements at both cell and system levels.

Main Methods:

• Oxygen separation from anode output stream using MIEC membranes and a vacuum system.
• Integration of a heat recovery process following oxygen separation.
• Recirculation of the swept gas stream near thermoneutral conditions.
• Development of an Aspen HYSYS® model for heat and material balance calculations.

Main Results:

• Successful oxygen separation from the anode output stream.
• Generation of a purified oxygen stream for various applications.
• Demonstrated efficiency enhancements of the proposed system configuration through modeling.
• Performance improvements observed at both cell and system levels due to heat recovery and recirculation.

Conclusions:

• The novel integrated heat recovery system based on MIEC membranes is effective for oxygen separation.
• The system offers significant performance improvements for solid oxide electrolyzers and related applications.
• The developed Aspen HYSYS® model validates the efficiency gains of the proposed configuration.