A New Mixed Fossil/Nuclear Energy System for the Production of Electricity with Zero Emission of Carbon Dioxide

A new mixed fossil/nuclear energy system for the production of electricity from coal is presented, in which the process heat of a high-temperature reactor is used to produce a synthesis gas in a fluidized bed, via a water/gas reaction. A gas turbine, or alternatively a high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, is used to produce electricity in a combined steam cycle as well as pure CO₂, which is condensed and disposed in the deep ocean. The overall efficiency of such a system is higher than that of the classical CO₂ recovery system, particularly for a high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell. Thus, the recovery and disposal of CO₂ from an energy system, based mainly on fossil fuels, seem to be no longer utopian.