Performance analysis and multi-objective optimization of a new molten carbonate fuel cell system

The model of a new molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) system is established, in which multi-irreversibilities resulting from the anode, cathode, and ohm overpotentials are taken into account. Based on thermodynamic-electrochemical analysis and the semi-empirical equations available in literature, expressions of some main parameters such as the cell voltage, power output, efficiency and entropy production rate are derived. The influence of the gas inlet compositions on the electrode overpotentials is discussed in detail. It is found that there exist the optimal anode CO₂ concentrations for different anode H₂ concentrations. The performance characteristic curves of the MCFC system are represented through numerical calculation and the optimal operation regions of the main parameters are determined. Moreover, a new multi-objective function is used to further optimize the characteristics of the MCFC system, and consequently, the important problem of how to give consideration to both the efficiency and power output in the optimal operation region of the system is expounded.     

The efficient and economic design of PEM fuel cell systems by multi-objective optimization

Since the efficiency of fuel cells is the ratio of the electrical power output and the fuel input, it is a function of power density, system pressure, and stoichiometric ratios of hydrogen and oxygen. Typically, the fuel cell efficiency decreases as its power output increases. In order for the fuel cell system to obtain highly efficient operation with the same power generation, more cells and other auxiliaries such as a high-capacity compressor system, etc. are required. In other words, fuel cell efficiency is closely related to fuel cell economics. Therefore, an optimum efficiency should exist and should result in the definition of a cost-effective fuel cell system. Using a multi-objective optimization technique, the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method, the efficiency and cost of a fuel cell system have been optimized under various operating conditions. This paper has obtained some analytical results that provide a useful suggestion for the design of a cost-effective fuel cell system with high operation efficiency.     

Analysis of Pt/C electrode performance in a flowing-electrolyte alkaline fuel cell

We characterize the performance of Pt/C-based electrodes under alkaline conditions using a microfluidic H₂/O₂ fuel cell as an analytical platform. Both anodes and cathodes were investigated as a function of electrode preparation procedures (i.e., hot pressing, acclimatization) and fuel cell operating parameters (i.e., electrolyte composition) via chronoamperometric and electrochemical impedance analyses. X-ray micro-computed tomography was employed to link electrode structure to performance. In addition, the flowing electrolyte stream is used to study the effects of carbonates on individual electrode and overall fuel cell performance. Our studies provide direct evidence that the performance of hydrogen-fueled room-temperature alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) is limited by transport processes to and from the anode primarily due to water formation. Furthermore, the presence of carbonate species in the electrolyte appears to impact only anode performance whereas cathode performance remains unchanged.     

Recycling alkaline fuel cell waste heat for cooling production via temperature-matching elastocaloric cooler

To recycle byproduct waste heat, a new hybrid system model that integrates alkaline fuel cell (AFC) with temperature-matching elastocaloric cooler (ECC) is proposed. Considering diverse irreversible effects in thermodynamic and electrochemical processes, the mathematical model of hybrid system is formulated, and the performance metrics of the hybrid system are obtained. The optimally operating current density range of AFC enabling ECC to work is determined. Numerical calculation shows that the equivalent peak output power density and its according efficiency can be 51.64% and 20.88% higher than that of the single AFC, respectively. ECC is demonstrated to be an effective and competitive technology for AFC waste heat harvesting. In addition, considerable sensitivity analyses are performed to check the dependence of the proposed system performance on some key variables, including operating pressure, operating temperature, thermodynamic loss composite parameter, elastocaloric material types and elastocaloric properties, cross-sectional area ratio and length ratio for ECC. The results derived may offer some insights into the design or operation of practical AFC-ECC hybrid systems.     

Lifetime optimization of a molten carbonate fuel cell power system coupled with hydrogen production

In this paper, a biogas fuelled energy system for combined production of electricity and hydrogen is considered. The system is based on a molten carbonate fuel cell stack integrated with a micro gas turbine. Hydrogen is produced by a pressure swing absorption system. A multi-objective optimization is performed, considering the electrical efficiency and the unit cost of electricity as the objective functions.The system operation is affected by variations in fuel composition, ambient temperature and performance degradation of the components occurring during its lifetime. These effects are considered while defining the objective functions.     

Maximum equivalent power output and performance optimization analysis of an alkaline fuel cell/heat-driven cycle hybrid system

A generic model of the hybrid system consisting of an alkaline fuel cell (AFC) and a heat-driven cycle, which may work as either a refrigerator or a heat pump, is originally established. On the basis of the models of AFCs and three-heat-reservoir cycles, the equivalent power output and efficiency of the hybrid system are obtained. The performance characteristic curves of the hybrid system are represented through numerical calculation. The maximum equivalent power output and efficiency of the hybrid system are determined. Problems concerning the optimal operation of the hybrid system are discussed. The effects of the main irreversible losses on the performance of the hybrid system are investigated in detail. It is important to note that the waste heat produced in the AFC can be readily used in such a hybrid cycle.     

Parameter sizing and stability analysis of a highway fuel cell electric bus power system using a multi-objective optimization approach

Although FC based electric buses are currently popular on urban streets or in short transit routes within large facilities, the version that is designed to operate on a highway, which has much higher dynamic requirements, is yet to be well developed. This research proposes to adopt the NSGA-II based multi-objective optimization scheme to optimize a fuel cell-battery-supercapacitor (SC) based FC power system (FCPS) that is specifically for a FC electric bus operating on the highway fuel economy cycle (HWFET). The optimization objectives are to minimize the FC's fuel consumption, the required battery and SC size and the battery degradation rate. More importantly, the optimization scheme is based on a combined energy management strategy (EMS) software parameter and hardware component sizing approach which is important for guaranteeing dynamically stable responses. This characteristic is achieved by imposing constraints that limit the transient time responses the DC-Bus capacitor voltage electrical parameters upon a generic step change in load power. Results demonstrate that dynamic stability can be guaranteed with proper software parameter and hardware components combinations without any trade-off requirements with the optimizer objectives. Moreover, the system mass and the battery degradation objectives are in trade-off but don't have any dependence to hydrogen consumption.     

Performance of a direct methanol alkaline membrane fuel cell

A study of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) operating with hydroxide ion conducting membranes is reported. Evaluation of the fuel cell was performed using membrane electrode assemblies incorporating carbon-supported platinum/ruthenium anode and platinum cathode catalysts and ADP alkaline membranes. Catalyst loadings used were 1 mg cm⁻² Pt for both anode and cathode. The effect of temperature, oxidant (air or oxygen) and methanol concentration on cell performance is reported. The cell achieved a power density of 16 mW cm⁻², at 60 °C using oxygen. The performance under near ambient conditions with air gave a peak power density of approximately 6 mW cm⁻².     

The influence of flow direction variation on the performance of a single cell for an anode-substrate flat-panel solid oxide fuel cell

This study was performed for a computational investigation of a single cell for an anode-substrate flat-panel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to scrutinize the performance related to thermodynamic potential and overpotentials according to three other flow configurations: parallel flow, countercurrent flow, and perpendicular flow. To understand the performance differences based on the typical three flow configurations, the contour plots of temperature, species, and current density were simulated, and the trends and the portions of the diverse overpotentials were analyzed. The calculated results demonstrated that the parallel flow configuration had a tendency to deliver the highest performance and the lowest overpotentials of the three configurations because the temperature and H₂ concentration in the parallel flow configuration were changed countercurrently along the anode flow direction. These overpotentials were complemented by interacting with the more uniform current density and the total impedance induced by the opposite directional change for the temperature and H₂ concentration.In designing the anode-substrate flat-panel SOFC, the uniformity of flow rate in each channel, which affects significantly to both performance and lifetime of the cell, has been checked. From this numerical analysis result, the design performance of single cell was satisfactorily verified by obtaining negligible flow deviation in each channel of the designed separator deviation, which was less than 3% of the average velocity.     

Fuzzy-based multi-objective optimization of DMFC system efficiencies

To improve the fuel efficiency and total exergetic efficiency of a non-isothermal direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) system, the multi-objective optimization problem is addressed in this article. Under incommensurable multiple goals, the fuzzy inference with two-phase procedures is applied for finding the locally Pareto-optimal solution. Through an iterative optimization programming, a piecewise optimal control action is effectively generated at each time period. Finally, the optimal operating manner by manipulating anode inlet temperature is successfully demonstrated by the dynamic simulation.     

MEA for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell with alkali doped PBI membrane and non-platinum electrodes

This paper reports on the fabrication of MEA for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell (ADEFC). The MEA was fabricated using non-platinum electrocatalysts and a membrane of alkali doped polybenzimidazole (PBI). The employed oxygen reduction catalyst was prepared by pyrolysis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine cobalt(II) supported on XC72 carbon. This catalyst is tolerant to ethanol. Electrocatalyst at the anode was RuV alloy supported on XC72 carbon. It was synthesized by reduction of respective salts at elevated temperature. Single cell power density of 100 mW cm⁻² at U = 0.4 V was achieved at 80 °C using air at ambient pressure and 3 M KOH + 2 M EtOH anode feed. The developed MEA is considered viable for use in emergency power supply units and in power sources for portable electronic equipment.     

Novel multidisciplinary design and multi-objective optimization of centrifugal compressor used for hydrogen fuel cells

One-dimensional (1D) design and optimization of the impeller plays a significant role in performance improvement of the centrifugal compressor. However, most of the concentration has been paid to three-dimensional (3D) optimization of blades, few attention was focused on main control parameters determining aerodynamic performance and their optimal combination. Thus, this study innovatively developed a multidisciplinary design method combined with empirical 1D loss models, statistical analysis, and multi-optimization theory. The preliminary design of 1D parameters was developed based on empirical loss models. Besides, the analysis of variance of signal to noise ratio (SNR) was applied to find the main control parameters according to their contributions. To maximize the total pressure ratio and isentropic efficiency, the multi-objective optimization based on grey relational grade (GRG) was used to find the optimal combination of 1D parameters. The results showed that the impeller outlet width and impeller outlet radius are the most sensitive parameters affecting compressor performance. The optimal combination of 1D parameters is obtained. Compared to the initial design, the optimal impeller can reduce consumed power of 2.99%, enhance the isentropic efficiency of 1.24% at design point, and obtain the maximum increment of isentropic efficiency of 2.16% at 50 g/s operating point at 70,000 rpm.     

Thermodynamic model for an alkaline fuel cell

Alkaline fuel cells are low temperature fuel cells for which stationary applications, e.g. cogeneration in buildings, are a promising market. In order to guarantee a long life, water and thermal management has to be done in a careful way. In order to better understand the water, alkali and thermal flows, a two-dimensional model for an Alkaline Fuel Cell is developed using a control volume approach. In each volume the electrochemical reactions together with the mass and energy balance are solved. The model is created in Aspen Custom Modeller, the development environment of Aspen Plus, where special attention is given to the physical flow of hydrogen, water and air in the system. In this way the developed component, the AFC-cell, can be built into stack configurations to understand its effect on the overall performance. The model is validated by experimental data from measured performance by VITO with their Cell Voltage Monitor at a test case, where the AFC-unit is used as a cogeneration unit.     

Non-isothermal dynamic modelling and optimization of a direct methanol fuel cell

A non-isothermal dynamic optimization model of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) is developed to predict their performance with an effective optimum-operating strategy. After investigating the sensitivities of the transient behaviour (the outlet temperature, crossovers of methanol and water, and cell voltage) to operating conditions (the inlet flow rates into anode and cathode compartments, and feed concentration) through dynamic simulations, we find that anode feed concentration has a significantly larger impact on methanol crossover, temperature, and cell voltage than the anode and cathode flow rates. Also, optimum transient conditions to satisfy the desired fuel efficiency are obtained by dynamic optimization. In the developed model, the significant influence of temperature on DMFC behaviour is described in detail with successful estimation of its model parameters.     

Life cycle assessment of an alkaline fuel cell CHP system

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of an alkaline fuel cell based domestic combined heat and power (CHP) system is presented. Literature on non-noble, monopolar cell design and stack construction was reviewed, and used to produce a life cycle inventory for the construction of a 1 kW stack. Inventories for the ancillary components of other commercial fuel cell products were consulted, and combined with information on the fuel processing requirements of alkaline cells to suggest a hypothetical balance of plant that would be required to produce AC electricity and domestic grade heat from natural gas and air.     

A liquid electrolyte alkaline direct 2-propanol fuel cell

Prototype alkaline direct 2-propanol fuel cells (AD2PFCs) using commercial Pt/C electrodes and hardware, and a liquid electrolyte, were constructed and compared to the 3-dimensional current-time-potential profiles for the 3-electrode oxidation of 2-propanol. A substantial current maximum occurs at low potentials and is attributed to a change in the mechanism of 2-propanol oxidation. This mechanism change influenced the stability of the AD2PFC; when the cell was polarized to a lower cell voltage limit of 0.5 V, stable and relatively high power densities are achieved. When the cell was polarized to a lower cell voltage limit of 0 V, unstable and only marginally higher power densities were observed. A maximum power density of 22.3 mW mg_Pt⁻¹ was achieved, and most of the cell polarization occurred at the cathode.     

Transient analysis of alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cell anode

Alkaline anion exchange membrane (AAEM) fuel cell has attracted increasing attention in recent years due to its several outstanding advantages over proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell such as fast electrochemical kinetics and friendly alkaline environment for catalysts. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) half-cell transient model is developed to study the dynamic characteristics of AAEM fuel cell under different step changes of operating conditions. It is found that the current density has significant effects on the distribution of liquid water, while the anode stoichiometric ratio effect is insignificant. More time is needed to reach a steady state when the current density decreases rather than increases, and the similar phenomenon also occurs when the operating temperature decreases rather than increases, however, this effect within a low temperature range becomes insignificant. Moreover, the overshoot and undershoot of water diffusion through membrane can also be observed with the step change of the anode stoichiometric ratio and anode inlet relative humidity. The model prediction also has reasonable agreement with published experimental data. The dynamic behaviors observed in this study are of significant importance to the development of AAEM fuel cells for portable and automotive applications.     

Water management in an alkaline fuel cell

Alkaline fuel cells are low temperature fuel cells for which stationary applications, like cogeneration in buildings, are a promising market. To guarantee a long life, water and thermal management has to be controlled in a careful way. To understand the water, alkali and thermal flows, a model for an alkaline fuel cell module is developed using a control volume approach. Special attention is given to the physical flow of hydrogen, water and air in the system and the diffusion laws are used to gain insight in the water management. The model is validated on the prediction of the electrical performance and thermal behaviour. The positive impact of temperature on fuel cell performance is shown. New in this model is the inclusion of the water management, for which an extra validation is performed. The model shows that a minimum temperature has to be reached to maintain the electrolyte concentration. Increasing temperature for better performance without reducing the electrolyte concentration is possible with humidified hot air.     

Systematic analysis and multi-objective optimization of an integrated power and freshwater production cycle

This study represents the results of the analysis and optimization of an integrated system for cogenerating electricity and freshwater. This setup consists of a Solid Oxide Fuel cell (SOFC) for producing electricity. Unburned fuel of the SOFC is burned in the afterburner to increase the temperature of the SOFC's outlet gasses and operate a Gas turbine (GT) to produce additional power and operate the air compressor. At the bottom of this cycle, a combined setup of a Multi-Effect Desalination (MED) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) is considered to produce freshwater from the unused heat capacity of the GT's exhaust gasses. Also, a Stirling engine is used in the fuel supply line to increase the fuel's temperature. Using LNG and the Stirling engine will replace the fuel compressor with a pump which increases the system performance and eliminates the need for the expansion valve. To study the system performance a mathematical model is developed in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) program. Then, the system's simulated data from the EES has been sent to MATLAB to promote the best operating condition based on the optimization criteria. An energetic, exergetic, economic, and environmental analysis has been performed and a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to achieve the goal. The two-objective optimization is performed to maximize the exergetic efficiency of the proposed system while minimizing the system's total cost of production. This cost is a weighted distribution of the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and Levelized Cost of freshwater (LCOW). The results showed that the exergetic and energetic efficiencies of the system can reach 73.5% and 69.06% at the optimum point. The total electricity production of the system is 99 MW. The production cost is 11.71 Cents/kWh, of which 1.04 Cents/kWh is emission-related and environmental taxes. The freshwater production rate is 42.44 kg/s which costs 4.38 USD/m³.     

Maximization of quadruple phase boundary for alkaline membrane fuel cell using non-stoichiometric α-MnO2 as cathode catalyst

Oxygen can only be reduced at the quadruple phase boundary (catalyst, carbon support, ionomer and oxygen) of the cathode catalyst layer with non-conducting electrocatalyst. To maximize the quadruple phase boundary sites is crucial to increase the peak power density of each membrane electrode assembly. The quadruple phase boundary is depending on the ratio of catalyst, carbon support and ionomer. The loading of catalyst layer is also crucial to the fuel cell performance. In this study, non-stoichiometric α-MnO₂ manganese dioxide nanorod material has been synthesized and the ratios of carbon, ionomer and catalyst loadings were optimized in alkaline membrane fuel cell. In total, ten membrane electrode assemblies have been manufactured and tested. Taguchi design method has been applied in order to understand the effect of each parameter. The conclusion finds out the ionomer has more influence on the alkaline membrane fuel cell peak power performance than carbon and loading.