A biogas collection and purification system that includes a plurality of sources of biogas and a network of conduits configured to convey the biogas from the sources to a central processing facility for processing the biogas into methane. The central processing facility removes impurities to convert biogas to biomethane and may include an H.sub.2S removal stage; an activated carbon scrubber; a gas drier; and a carbon dioxide removal stage. The facility also has a biomethane gas compressor configured to deliver the biomethane for use in power plants, for CNG production. Ancillaries to the system include fuel cells for direct electricity generation from biogas/biomethane.

A fuel cell reactor, preferably a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) reactor, for performing direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product is confined by walls, where reactants are flown in the anode compartments and air is introduced to the cathode compartments, and where oxygen is transferred from one side of the walls to the other side to promote or inhibit a chemical reaction. The process for direct conversion of a hydrocarbon-containing gas to a higher hydrocarbons product takes place in the anode compartment of the reactor, in which produced hydrogen, limiting the conversion to the equilibrium, is reacted in situ with oxygen ions transferred from the cathode compartment to produce steam, thereby removing the equilibrium-limiting hydrogen from the reaction.

A hydrogen production apparatus including a desulfurizer, a reformer, a CO transformer a gas flow path, and a purge gas supply path which is provided where a purge gas is supplied to an upstream side of a pressure feeding apparatus in the gas flow path, prior to a stopping operation, a purging step of replacing gas within the gas flow path with the purge gas and filling the purge gas into the gas flow path is performed, and in a start-up operation in which a heating means is operated to increase the temperature of the gas within the gas flow path, which is performed prior to a hydrogen purification operation, a pressure increasing step of supplying the purge gas from the purge gas supply path to the closed circulation circuit and increasing the pressure within the closed circulation circuit is performed.

The invention is based on a fuel cell device which is provided to be operated with a natural gas, having a fuel cell unit (12) and an anode gas processor (14) arranged upstream of the fuel cell unit (12), which anode gas processor is provided to prepare the natural gas for use in the fuel cell unit (12) and which comprises a desulfurization unit (18), which is provided to desulfurize the natural gas, an oxidation unit (20), which is provided to perform partial oxidation, and a reformer unit (22), which is provided to produce at least one fuel gas. It is proposed that the fuel cell device comprise a recirculation unit (16), which is provided to supply at least a proportion of an anode waste gas from the fuel cell unit (12) to the fuel cell device (10).

A biogas collection and purification system that includes a plurality of sources of biogas and a network of conduits configured to convey the biogas from the sources to a central processing facility for processing the biogas into methane. The central processing facility removes impurities to convert biogas to biomethane and may include an H.sub.2S removal stage; an activated carbon scrubber; a gas drier; and a carbon dioxide removal stage. The facility also has a biomethane gas compressor configured to deliver the biomethane for use in power plants, for CNG production. Ancillaries to the system include fuel cells for direct electricity generation from biogas/biomethane.

A component formed of a refractory metal has a surface that is at least partially coated with a layer of titanium diboride. There is also described a method of manufacturing the component and the application of TiB.sub.2 as a release agent in high-temperature applications.

A component formed of a refractory metal has a surface that is at least partially coated with a layer of yttria. There is also described a method of manufacturing a coated component, and the application of Y.sub.2O.sub.3 as a release agent in high temperature applications.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for real-time monitoring and automated intervention of a power generation. Embodiments may include receiving operating data from components of the power generation system. A potential failure condition for the components may be determined from real-time operating data of the received operating data before an occurrence of the potential failure condition. An alert may be issued in response to determining the real-time operating data indicates a potential failure condition, and instructions for remedying the potential failure condition may be transmitted to the power generation system. An algorithm for determining whether the real-time operating data indicates the potential failure condition may be updated by using preceding operating data in response to detecting the potential failure condition.

A fuel cell system includes a hydrodesulfurizer that removes a sulfur compound from raw material and that is heated with heat of exhaust gas flowing in the fuel cell system; a fuel cell that generates power through an electrochemical reaction using fuel and oxidant gas, the fuel being obtained by reforming raw material from which the sulfur compound has been removed by the hydrodesulfurizer; an introduction passage through which the exhaust gas that is to heat the hydrodesulfurizer passes; a first heat exchanger disposed in the introduction passage and that preheats, with heat of the exhaust gas passing through the introduction passage, the oxidant gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; and a second heat exchanger that preheat, with heat of exhaust gas passing through a passage other than the introduction passage, the oxidant gas to be preheated by the first heat exchanger.

Provided is a desulfurizer for removing a sulfur compound contained in a fluid, comprising a desulfurization agent for removing the sulfur compound from the fluid and a housing which contains the desulfurization agent and the inside of which the fluid flows through. The desulfurization agent includes a metal organic framework. The metal organic framework has copper ions and organic ligands. The organic ligands include 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid.