Sustainable Energy 1.818J/2.65J/3.564J/10.391J/11.371J/22.811J/ESD166J

Verion 3/20/05
1.818J/2.65J/3.564J/10.391J/11.371J/22.811J/ESD166J
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Spring 2005
PROBLEM SET #7
Nuclear and Fossil Energy
Due April 14, 2005
1. Millennial Energy for Green Applications. Rocky and Rochelle Jones have invented a new
energy converter called MEGA (an abbreviation for Millennial Energy for Green Applications)
that is under consideration for acquisition by MITY Industries. The MEGA system supposedly
directly converts natural gas to electricity by harnessing the “intrinsic” chemical energy
available by reacting natural gas (essentially pure CH4) with O2 in air in an electrochemical fuel
cell. According to the inventors, “this direct conversion avoids the inherent limitations of the 2nd
Law of Thermodynamics imposed on conventional power cycle systems.” Rocky and Rochelle
claim that “heat to work” efficiencies of over 90% are achievable with the MEGA. This level of
performance seems very high given that currently available, state-of-the-art integrated combined
cycles that couple gas and steam turbine technologies to produce electric power approach
efficiencies of only 60% with CH4 feeds. Another claimed advantage of the MEGA system is its
scalability to provide high-efficiency power over a wide range of capacities (from 1 kW to
10MW) needed for distributed power application in remote regions of the world. Unfortunately,
the details of how the MEGA operates are sketchy. We do know that air containing 20% O2
enters at ambient conditions and only CO2, N2, and H2O vapor exit the MEGA, again at ambient
conditions. The annual average ambient air temperature on the North Slope is approximately
0°C. Selective thermodynamic data are also available (see end of problem statement).
(a) What is the maximum possible power that would be produced from a steady-state flow
rate of 1 mol/s of pure CH4 at 1 bar, 200°C available from a gas processing plant on the
North Slope of Alaska? State and justify any assumptions made.
A known thermodynamics expert, Speedo Gibbs, was hired by MITY Industries to investigate,
as they are skeptical that a direct CH4 fuel cell has ever been operated successfully. Speedo
rapidly dismantles a prototype MEGA device and finds two major components (1) a chemical
reactor that catalytically reforms CH4 into H2 and (2) a conventional Pt-catalyzed
electrochemical H2-O2 fuel cell similar to those found in the NASA space shuttle.
Speedo concludes that the overall reaction of CH4 occurs by a two step process: steam reforming
plus water gas shift conversion (Rx (1)), to generate H2 followed by electrochemical conversion
in the fuel cell (Rx (2)).
Rx (1) – CH4 reforming:

CH 4 + H 2O ←
→ CO + 3H 2 (steam reformer)
CO + H 2O ←
→ CO 2 + H2 (water-gas shift converter)
CH 4 + 2H 2 O ←
→ CO 2 + 4H 2 Rx(1)
Rx (2) – Electrochemical conversion of H2 and O2 in a fuel cell:

Sustainable Energy
PS #2
Page 2
H2 + 2OH (−aq ) → 2H 2O + 2e −
← (anode ½ cell reaction)
1
O2 + H 2O + 2e − → 2OH (−aq )
← (cathode ½ cell reaction)
2
1
H2 + O2 ←
→ H 2O Rx(2)
2
Note that the sum of Rx(1) + [4 × Rx(2)] represents the overall reaction.
(b) Speedo’s intuition tells him that the presence of the reforming step that converts CH4 to
H2 will lower the efficiency of the MEGA. If this is true, the work producing potential of
MEGA should be less. Estimate the maximum possible electric power that could be
produced from the fuel cell for the same CH4 feed conditions in (a). Explain your answer
and state and justify all assumptions made in arriving at your revised estimate.
(c) Are there other practical process limitations that would reduce the output of the MEGA
below its maximum value? Explain.
(d) Rocky and Rochelle Jones claim that MEGA operates at greater than 90% efficiency. Is
this possible? Please explain with a suitable definition and estimate of efficiency.
(e) Given your answers to parts (a) through (d), based on your analysis, how will MEGA
compete with today’s off-the-shelf combined cycle systems?
Data: Standard Gibbs Energies, Enthalpies of Formation and average ideal-gas state heat
capacities at 298K and 1 bar.
∆G of ∆H of ∆S of < CPo >

Compound
kJ/mol kJ/mol J/mol K J/mol K
CO2(g) -394.6 -393.8 2.68 36.8
CO(g) -137.4 -110.6 89.93 29.3
CH4(g) -50.9 -74.9 -80.54 51.8
N2(g) 0 0 0 29.3
O2(g) 0 0 0 29.3
H2 0 0 0 22.15
H2O(g) -228.8 -242.0 -44.3 36.8
H2O(l) -237.1 -286.0 -164.09 75.3
H+(aq) 1517.0 -143.6 -5.57 --
OH-(aq) -138.7 1536.2 5.62 --
Sustainable Energy
PS #2
Page 3
2. If nuclear power were to be used to displace fossil fuels in the worldwide energy economy the
demand for uranium would grow rapidly. Consider the case that nuclear fission would provide
half of the heat currently provided worldwide by fossil fuels.
A. If this heat were to be provided by pressurized water reactors (PWRs) how many reactors
of 3000 MWt power capacity would be needed?
B. What would be the worldwide annual consumption rate of natural uranium?
C. How long would currently identified uranium resources (costing less then $100/kg
U3O8) be able to satisfy this demand level?
D. Breeder reactors could increase the utilization of uranium by a factor of 50. Do you think
that they would likely be important in the future nuclear power economy?
E. How does the nuclear waste from a breeder reactor differ from that of a PWR? T he
wastes from which type of reactor would pose a lower hazard to future generations?
F. How would you determine how much money we should spend in treating nuclear wastes
today in order to avert a low probability potential fatality that might occur 3000 years
into the future?
Hint: Utilize data given in class or the textbook, and at the web site of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA).

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Verion 3/20/05

Rx (1) – CH4 reforming:

Rx (2) – Electrochemical conversion of H2 and O2 in a fuel cell:

∆G of ∆H of ∆S of < CPo >

B. What would be the worldwide annual consumption rate of natural uranium?

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