Thermodynamic modeling and exergy analysis of proton exchange membrane fuel cell power system

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell (PEMFC) is equipped with a series of auxiliary components which consume considerable amount of energy. It is necessary to investigate the design and operation of the PEMFC power system for better system performance. In this study, a typical PEMFC power system is developed, and a thermodynamic model of the system is established. Simulation is carried out, and the power distribution of each auxiliary component in the system, the net power and power efficiency of the system are obtained. This power system uses cooling water for preheating inlet gases, and its energy-saving effect is also verified by the simulation. On this basis, the exergy analysis is applied on the system, and the indexes of the system exergy loss, exergy efficiency and ecological function are proposed to evaluate the system performance. The results show that fuel cell stack and heat exchanger are the two components that cause the most exergy loss. Furthermore, the system performance under various stack inlet temperatures and current densities is also analyzed. It is found that the net power, energy efficiency and exergy efficiency of the system reach the maximum when the stack inlet temperature is about 348.15 K. The ecological function is maintained at a high level when the stack inlet temperature is around 338.15 K. Lower current density increases the system ecological function and the power and exergy efficiencies, and also helps decrease the system exergy loss, but it decreases the system net power.     

Exergy and exergo-economic investigation of a novel hydrogen production and storage system via an integrated energy system

The main purpose of the current research work is to suggest a novel integrated multi-generation energy system and scrutinize 4E evaluation. This system consists of a solid oxide fuel cell, a PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production, and an ejector-based absorption chiller for the coefficient of performance improvement. All parts of this system are verified with existing reports and papers. Effect of fuel cell current density, SOFC fuel cell temperature, absorption chiller evaporator temperature, and condenser temperature, and outlet turbine pressure has been investigated and reported. The effect of mentioned parameters on the exergy and cost rate has been considered. Data illustrate that the maximum exergy destruction rate belongs to the SOFC contributing 60% of the total exergy destruction rate of the system. Under the given condition of the system, the net produced power is about 200 kW with an exergy efficiency of 30.2% and thermal efficiency of 60.4%. At the considered condition the total cost rate of the system is estimated about 22.29 $/hr. The results of the present work provide a scientific base for designing poly-generation systems with high efficiency and reasonable cost rate.     

Thermodynamic analysis and assessment of novel ORC- DEC integrated PEMFC system for liquid hydrogen fueled ship application

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and liquid hydrogen are gaining attention as a power generation system and alternative fuel of ship. This study proposes a novel PEMFC system, integrated with the organic Rankine cycle–direct expansion cycle (ORC-DEC), which exploits cold exergy from liquid hydrogen and low temperature waste heat generated by the PEMFC for application in a liquid hydrogen fueled ship. A thermodynamic model of each subsystem was established and analyzed from the economic, energy, and exergy viewpoints. Moreover, parametric analysis was performed to identify the effects of certain key parameters, such as the working fluid in the ORC, pressure exerted by the fuel pump, cooling water temperature of the PEMFC, and the stack current density on the system performance. The results showed that the proposed system could generate 221 kW of additional power. The overall system achieved an exergy and energy efficiency of 43.52 and 40.45%, respectively. The PEMFC system had the largest exergy destruction, followed by the cryogenic heat exchanger. Propane showed the best performance among the several investigated ORC working fluids and the system performance improved with the increase in the cooling water temperature of the PEMFC. The economic analysis showed that the average payback time of ORC-DEC was 11.2 years and the average net present value (NPV) was $295,268 at liquid hydrogen costing $3 to $7, showing the potential viability of the system.     

Thermodynamic analysis of polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel-cell performance under varying cooling conditions

The cooling capacity and cooling load of a fuel-cell cooling loop govern the operating temperature of the fuel-cell module and its electrical output, efficiency and other thermodynamic aspects. The aim of this work was to analyze the performance of a polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel-cell (PEMFC) under changing cooling conditions. A back-iteration algorithm was employed to determine the operating temperature of a PEMFC for which thermodynamic performance models were developed for the entropy generation, exergy-destruction and second-law efficiency using an entropy-analysis method. Electrochemical equations for the calculation of the voltage, power and first-law efficiency of the cell were also formulated. A parametric study was performed to evaluate the effects of varying cooling conditions on the energy and exergy efficiency of the PEMFC. The parameters considered include the electric-current density governing the cooling load, the mass flow rate of the coolant and the external thermal resistance of the cooler, which together determine the cooling ability of the fuel-cell cooling loop. Their influences on operating temperature, voltage, power, energy and exergy efficiencies were numerically investigated. The results indicate that although the power output and exhaust heat of PEMFC is mainly dominated by the electric-current density, the impacts of the coolant's mass flow rate and the cooler's external thermal resistance on the voltage, energy and exergy efficiencies of PEMFC module can't be neglected. In the investigated ranges, the gross energy and exergy efficiencies increase with the cooler's external thermal resistance by 3.2% and 2.45%, and decrease with the increase in coolant's mass flow rate by 1.2% and 0.92%, respectively.     

燃料重整固体氧化物燃料电池发电系统性能分析及多变量参数优化

以燃料重整的固体氧化物燃料电池发电系统为研究对象,通过数值模拟方法对固体氧化物燃料电池发电系统的性能、(火用)损、(火用)效率以及多变量运行参数优化进行了分析。研究结果表明：重整反应中燃料利用系数、电池工作温度、水碳比、电堆电流密度等参数对系统性能影响显著;电堆工作在不同电流密度下都有其对应的最佳工作温度、最佳燃料利用系数工况点;水碳比会改变重整反应产氢量,从而影响电化学反应速率,空气加热器的(火用)损所占份额最大;优化后的系统效率及(火用)效率为0.480 9和0.462 6,效率提升约4%。     

Thermodynamic performance analysis of a molten carbonate fuel cell at very high current densities

This study is basically composed of two sections. In the first section, a CFD analysis is used to provide a better insight to molten carbonate fuel cell operation and performance characteristics at very high current densities. Therefore, a mathematical model is developed by employing mass and momentum conservation, electrochemical reaction mechanisms and electric charges. The model results are then compared with the available data for an MCFC unit, and a good agreement is observed. In addition, the model is applied to predict the unit cell behaviour at various operating pressures, temperatures, and cathode gas stoichiometric ratios. In the second section, a thermodynamic model is utilized to examine energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and entropy generation of the MCFC. At low current densities, no considerable difference in output voltage and power is observed; however, for greater values of current densities, the difference is not negligible. If the molten carbonate fuel cell is to operate at current densities smaller than 2500 A m⁻², there is no point to pressurize the system. If the fuel cell operates at pressures greater than atmospheric pressure, the unit cell cost could be minimized. In addition, various partial pressure ratios at the cathode side demonstrated nearly the same effect on the performance of the fuel cell. With a 60 K change in operating temperature, almost 10% improvement in energy and exergy efficiencies is obtained. Both efficiencies initially increase at lower current densities and then reach their maximum values and ultimately decrease with the increase of current density. By elevating the pressure, both energy and exergy efficiencies of the cell enhance. In addition, higher operating pressure and temperature decrease the unit cell entropy generation.     

质子交换膜燃料电池堆的热力学分析

建立了质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)堆的热力学分析模型,研究了运行温度、气体分压和阳极流量等工作参数对燃料电池堆能量效率和火用效率的影响。结果表明:对气体加压,能提高热力学能效率和火用效率;温度升高时,系统性能无明显变化;阳极流量增加时,系统的热力学能效率和火用效率有所降低。     

Utilizing coke oven gases as a fuel for a cogeneration system based on high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell; energy,exergy and economic assessment

Based on a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC), a cogeneration system is proposed to produce heat and power. The system includes a coke oven gas steam reformer, a water gas shift reactor, and an afterburner. The system is analyzed in detail considering the energy, exergy and economic viewpoints. The analyses reveal the importance of HT-PEMFC in the system and according to the results, 9.03 kW power is generated with energy and exergy efficiencies of 88.2% and 26.2%, respectively and the total product unit cost is calculated as 91.8 $/GJ. Through a parametric study the effects on system performance are studied of such variables as the current density, fuel cell and reformer operating temperatures, and cathode stoichiometric ratio. It is found that an increase in the fuel cell temperature and/or a decrease in the reformer temperature enhance the exergy efficiency. The exergy efficiency is also maximized at the cathode stoichiometric ratio of 2.4. By performing a two-objective optimization using genetic algorithm, the best operating point is determined at which the exergy efficiency is (32.86%) and the total product unit cost is (78.68 $/GJ).     

Experimental analysis of dynamic characteristics on the PEM fuel cell stack by using Taguchi approach with neural networks

This study determines the optimum operating parameters for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack to obtain small variation and maximum electric power output using a robust parameter design (RPD). The operating parameters examined experimentally are operating temperatures, operating pressures, anode/cathode humidification temperatures, and reactant flow rates. First, the dynamic Taguchi method is used to obtain the maximum and stable power density against the different current densities, which are regarded as the systemic inputs considered a signal factor. The relationship between control factors and responses in the PEMFC stack is determined using a neural network. The discrete parameter levels in the dynamic Taguchi method can be divided into desired levels to acquire real optimum operating parameters. Based on these investigations, the PEMFC stack is operated at the current densities of 0.4–0.8 A/cm². Since the voltage shift is quite small (roughly 0.73–0.83 V for each single cell), the efficiency would be higher. In the range of operation, the operating pressure, the cathode humidification temperature and the interactions between operating temperature and operating pressure significantly impact PEMFC stack performance. As the operating pressure increasing, the increments of the electric power decrease, and power stability is enhanced because the variation in responses is reduced.     

Harvesting of PEM fuel cell heat energy for a thermal engine in an underwater glider

The heat generated by a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is generally removed from the cell by a cooling system. Combining heat energy and electricity in a PEMFC is highly desirable to achieve higher fuel efficiency. This paper describes the design of a new power system that combines the heat energy and electricity in a miniature PEMFC to improve the overall power efficiency in an underwater glider. The system makes use of the available heat energy for navigational power of the underwater glider while the electricity generated by the miniature PEMFC is used for the glider's sensors and control system. Experimental results show that the performance of the thermal engine can be obviously improved due to the high quality heat from the PEMFC compared with the ocean environmental thermal energy. Moreover, the overall fuel efficiency can be increased from 17 to 25% at different electric power levels by harvesting the PEMFC heat energy for an integrated fuel cell and thermal engine system in the underwater glider.     

Optimization of PEMFC system operating conditions based on neural network and PSO to achieve the best system performance

PEMFC system is a complex new clean power system. Based on MATLAB/Simulink, this paper develops a system-level dynamic model of PEMFC, including the gas supply system, hydrogen supply system, hydrothermal management system, and electric stack. The neural network fits the electric stack model to the simulation data. The effects of different operating conditions on the PEMFC stack power and system efficiency are analyzed. Combining the power of the reactor and the system efficiency to define the integrated performance index, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is introduced to optimize the power density and system efficiency of the PEMFC with multiple objectives. The final optimal operating point increases the power density and system efficiency by 1.33% and 12.8%, respectively, which maximizes the output performance and reduces the parasitic power.     

Maximizing the efficiency of a HT-PEMFC system integrated with glycerol reformer

The efficiency and output power density of an integrated high temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell system and glycerol reformer are studied. The effects of reformer temperature, steam to carbon ratio (S/C), fuel cell temperature, and anode stoichiometric ratio are examined. An increase in anode stoichiometric ratio will reduce CO poisoning effect at cell’s anode but cause lower fuel utilization towards energy generation. High S/C operation requires large amount of the energy available, however, it will increase anode tolerance to CO poisoning and therefore will lead to enhanced cell performance. Consequently, the optimum gas composition and flow rate is very dependent on cell operating current density and temperature. For example, at low current densities, similar efficiencies were obtained for all the S/C ratio studied range at cell temperature of 423.15 K, however, at cell temperature of 448.15 K, low S/C ratio provided higher efficiency in comparison to high S/C ratio. High S/C is essential when operating the cells at high current densities where CO has considerable impact on cell performance. Optimal conditions that provide the maximum power density at a given efficiency are reported.     

Energetic and exergetic analysis of a biomass-fueled CCHP system integrated with proton exchange membrane fuel cell

As a high-efficiency and eco-friendly way of energy conversion, fuel cell has received much attention in recent years. A novel residential combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system, consisting of a biomass gasifier, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack, an absorption chiller and auxiliary equipment, is proposed. Based on the established thermodynamic models, the effects of operating parameters, biomass materials type and moisture content on the system performance are closely investigated. Overall system performance is then compared under four different operating modes. From the viewpoints of energy utilization and CO₂ emissions, the CCHP mode has the best performance with corresponding energy efficiency of 57.41% and CO₂ emission index of 0.516 ton/MWh. Exergy analysis results suggest that the optimization and transformation on the gasifier and PEMFC stack should be encouraged. Energy and exergy assessments in this research provide pragmatic guidance to the performance improvement of the integrated CCHP systems with PEMFC. This research also achieves a reasonable combination of efficient cogeneration, green hydrogen production and full recovery of low grade waste heat.     

Energy,exergy and exergo-environmental impact assessment of a solid oxide fuel cell coupled with absorption chiller & cascaded closed loop ORC for multi-generation

A novel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) multigeneration system fueled by biogas derived from agricultural waste (maize silage) is designed and analyzed from the view point of energy and exergy analysis. The system is proposed in order to limit the greenhouse gas emissions as it uses a renewable energy source as a fuel. Electricity, domestic hot water, hydrogen and cooling load are produced simultaneously by the system. The system includes a solid oxide fuel cell; which is the primary mover, a biogas digester subsystem, a cascaded closed loop organic Rankine cycle, a single effect LiBr-water absorption refrigeration cycle, and a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer subsystem. The proposed cascaded closed-loop ORC cycle is considered as one of the advanced heat recovery technologies that significantly improve thermal efficiency of integrated systems. The thermal performance of the proposed system is observed to be higher in comparison to the simple ORC and the recuperated ORC cycles. The integration of a splitter to govern the flue gas separation ratio is also introduced in this study to cater for particular needs/demands. The separation ratio can be used to vary the cooling load or the additional power supplied by the ORC to the system. It is deduced that net electrical power, cooling load, heating capacity of the domestic hot water and total energy and exergy efficiency are 789.7 kW, 317.3 kW, 65.75 kW, 69.86% and 47.4% respectively under integral design conditions. Using a parametric approach, the effects of main parameters on the output of the device are analyzed. Current density is an important parameter for system performance. Increasing the current density leads to increased power produced by the system, decreased exergy efficiency in the system and increased energy efficiency. After-burner, air and fuel heat exchangers are observed to have the highest exergy destruction rates. Lower current density values are desirable for better exergy-based sustainability from the exergetic environmental impact assessment. Higher current density values have negative effect on the environment.     

Technical performance analysis of a micro-combined cooling,heating and power system based on solar energy and high temperature PEMFC

A solar energy and high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)-based micro-combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system (named system I) is proposed in this work. This system mainly consists of a PEMFC subsystem, an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) subsystem and a vapor compression cycle (VCC) subsystem. System I would reduce to a high temperature PEMFC-based CCHP system (named system II) if there was no solar energy. With the technical performance analysis models developed, the effects of the current density, operating temperature, solar radiation intensity and ambient temperature on the thermal, economic and environmental performances of the systems are theoretically analyzed. The results show that the current density and solar radiation intensity are the main impact factors that can significantly affect the thermal, economic and environmental performances, while the operating temperature and ambient temperature only have remarkable influences on the thermal performance. The coefficient of performance (COP) of system II is approximately 1.19 in summer and 1.42 in winter, which is always higher than that of system I under the same working conditions. The exergy efficiency of system I and system II are approximately 49.7% and 47.4%, respectively. The primary energy saving rates (PESRs) of system I and system II are 64.9% and 31.8% in summer, and 60.0% and 36.2% in winter, respectively. The payback periods of system I and system II are 9.6 yr and 6.0 yr without government subsidy, respectively. Compared with system II, the pollutant emission reduction rates (ERRs) of system I can be increased by approximately 8.4%–23.5% with the addition of solar energy, which indicates that the development and utilization of clean and renewable energy such as solar energy can significantly reduce pollutant emissions.     

Energy and exergy analyses of a combined ammonia-fed solid oxide fuel cell system for vehicular applications

In this study, both energetic and exergetic performances of a combined heat and power (CHP) system for vehicular applications are evaluated. This system proposes ammonia-fed solid oxide fuel cells based on proton conducting electrolyte (SOFC-H⁺) with a heat recovery option. Fuel consumption of combined fuel cell and energy storage system is investigated for several cases. The performance of the portable SOFC system is studied in a wide range of the cell’s average current densities and fuel utilization ratios. Considering a heat recovery option, the system exergy efficiency is calculated to be 60-90% as a function of current density, whereas energy efficiency varies between 60 and 40%, respectively. The largest exergy destructions take place in the SOFC stack, micro-turbine, and first heat exchanger. The entropy generation rate in the CHP system shows a 25% decrease for every 100 °C increase in average operating temperature.     

Thermodynamic modeling and exergy investigation of a hydrogen-based integrated system consisting of SOFC and CO2 capture option

The current study deals with the thermodynamic modeling of an innovative integrated plant based on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with liquefied natural gas (LNG) cold energy supply. For the suggested innovative plant the energy, and exergy simulations are fully extended and the plant comprehensively analyzed. According to mathematical simulations of the proposed plant, a MATLAB code has been extended. The results indicate that under considered initial conditions, the efficiencies of SOFC and net power generation calculated 58% and 78%, respectively and the CO₂-capture rate is obtained 79 kg/h. This study clearly shows that the integrated system reached high efficiency while having zero emissions. In addition, the efficiencies and net amount of power generation, cooling or heating output and SOFC power generation are discussed in detail as a function of different variables such utilization factor, air/fuel ratio, or SOFC inlet temperature. For enhancing the power production efficiency of SOFC, the net electricity, and CCHP exergy efficiency the plant should run in higher utilization factor and lower air/fuel ration also it's important to approximately set SOFC temperature to its ideal temperature.     

Optimal energy management strategy of fuel-cell battery hybrid electric mining truck to achieve minimum lifecycle operation costs

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) electric vehicle is an effective solution for improving fuel efficiency and onboard emissions, taking advantage of the high energy density and short refuelling time. However, the higher cost and short life of the PEMFC system and battery in an electric vehicle prohibit the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) from becoming the mainstream transportation solution. The fuel efficiency-oriented energy management strategy (EMS) cannot guarantee the improvement of total operating costs. This paper proposes an EMS to minimize the overall operation costs of FCEVs, including the cost of hydrogen fuel, as well as the cost associated with the degradations of the PEMFC system and battery energy storage system (ESS). Based on the PEMFC and battery performance degradation models, their remaining useful life (RUL) models are introduced. The control parameters of the EMS are then optimized using a meta-model based global optimization algorithm. This study presents a new optimal control method for a large mining truck operating on a real closed-road operation cycle, using the combined energy efficiency and performance degradation cost measures of the PEMFC system and lithium-ion battery ESS. Simulation results showed that the proposed EMS could improve the total operating costs and the life of the FCEV.     

Energy and exergy analyses of a hybrid molten carbonate fuel cell system

This study deals with the energy and exergy analysis of a molten carbonate fuel cell hybrid system to determine the efficiencies, irreversibilities and performance of the system. The analysis includes the operation of each component of the system by mass, energy and exergy balance equations. A parametric study is performed to examine the effect of varying operating pressure, temperature and current density on the performance of the system. Furthermore, thermodynamic irreversibilities in each component of the system are determined. An overall energy efficiency of 57.4%, exergy efficiency of 56.2%, bottoming cycle energy efficiency of 24.7% and stack energy efficiency of 43.4% are achieved. The results demonstrate that increasing the stack pressure decreases the overpotential losses and, therefore, increases the stack efficiency. However, this increase is limited by the remaining operating conditions and the material selection of the stack. The fuel cell and the other components in which chemical reactions occur, show the highest exergy destruction in this system. The compressor and turbine on the other hand, have the lowest entropy generation and, thus, the lowest exergy destruction.     

Improvement of thermal management of proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack used for portable devices by integrating the ultrathin vapor chamber

UVC (ultrathin vapor chamber) simultaneously has a high heat-conducting property, excellent temperature uniformity and simple structure. These advantages are very suitable for thermal management of the open-cathode PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) stack. In this work, two-type UVCs with different appearances are integrated into a conventional PEMFC stack respectively. The effect of UVC on the output performance, thermal management and operating stability is investigated by the experiment combined with simulation. The results show that UVC can significantly increase the output voltage under high current density. In 35 A, the output voltage of the stack integrated the vertical UVC increases by 20.25% relative to the conventional stack. Thermal management is also improved by UVC. The highest temperature inside the stack decrease by 9 °C in 35 A, and the membrane temperature is decreased obviously. But it still exceeds the optimal operating temperature of open-cathode PEMFC stack due to the poor cooling type in the condensation side of UVC. UVC improves the operation stability of the stack and slows the deteriorative speed of output performance. This work hopes to attract more attention to the application of UVC on the thermal management of portable power sources used open-cathode PEMFC stack.