Patent ID: 9680173
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: C01B,C12M,C12P,H01M,Y02E,Y02P

Claim:
1. An energy saving method in a combined system of a bioethanol producing device and a solid oxide fuel cell, in a combined system containing a mash column that distills a fermented liquid formed in a fermenting vessel of a bioethanol producing device to distill off a water-containing ethanol vapor from an overhead thereof, a reforming device that forms a reformed gas from the water-containing ethanol vapor, and a solid oxide fuel cell that is operated with the reformed gas as a fuel, the method comprising refluxing a part of an anode off-gas of the solid oxide fuel cell to a water-containing ethanol vapor line from the mash column to the reforming device at a reflux ratio ((flow rate of reflux gas)/(flow rate of (anode off-gas)−(reflux gas))) of from 1 to 2, so as to control an ethanol concentration of the water-containing ethanol vapor to a range of from 25 to 35% by weight with water contained in the anode off-gas of the solid oxide fuel cell.