INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURE ELECTROCHEMICAL CLAUS PROCESS FOR SULFUR RECOVERY

THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL BE DIRECTED TOWARDS DEVELOPING THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INSIGHT NECESSARY FOR EVALUATING THE UTILITY OF AN ELECTROCHEMICAL CLAUS FUEL CELLINCORPORATING ADVANCED PEROVSKITE SOLID ELECTROLYTES AND PREFERRED H2S TOLERANT ANODE ELECTROCATALYSTS POSSESSING THE GENERAL CONFIGURATION: H2S, AXB2-XS4/DOPED AB03/LA0.7SR0.3MN03,02 (OR WS2) WHERE AXB2-XS4 = NIXFE2-XS4 AND CUXC02-XS4 (0 < X < 0.2) AND AB03 CORRESPONDS TO THE PEROVSKITE SOLID ELECTROLYTES OF INTEREST. THESE PEROVSKITE BASED SOLID ELECTROLYTES WERE RECENTLY SELECTED FROM RATIONALE DEVELOPED AT ELTRON RESEARCH INC. (ERI) WHICH HAS SHOWN A CLEAR CORRELATION BETWEEN THE ACTIVATION ENERGY ( E) FOR IONIC CONDUCTION IN PEROVSKITE LATTICE AND THE FREE VOLUME PRESENTIN THE PEROVSKITE UNIT CELL CRYSTAL LATTICE AS DEFINED BY UNIT CELL VOLUME SUBTRACTED BY THE IONIC VOLUME OF CONSTITUENT IONS. THESE FUEL CELLS WILL BE EXPECTED TO OPERATE AT TEMPERATURES OF 600 DEGREES CENTIGRADE AND BELOW AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER E FOR IONIC CONDUCTION AFFORDED, COMPARED TO CURRENTLY USED YTTRIASTABILIZED ZIRCONIA (YSZ) BASED SOLID ELECTROLYTES. CONVERSION EFFICIENCIES REALIZED FROM THIS ELECTROCHEMICAL CLAUS PROCESS MAY PROVE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH SO THAT TAIL-GAS CLEAN-UP IN COAL GASIFICATION PROCESSES BECOME DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED.