Dynamic characteristics and economic analysis of PEMFC-based CCHP systems with different dehumidification solutions

For data centers with high humidity requirements, a novel combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system with dehumidification is proposed, which can provide cooling, heating, electricity and dehumidification simultaneously. The dynamic responses and economic characteristics of three different dehumidification methods with integrated dehumidification wheel, desiccant or parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) as an auxiliary heat source are analyzed. The results show that the use of desiccant instead of the dehumidification wheel is beneficial to the stability of system power and temperature, and reduces the installed capacity of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks by about 78%, thereby reducing the cost of the stacks and hydrogen. With the assistance of PTSC as an auxiliary heat source, the PEMFC stacks can reduce about 110 kW of electricity and save about 62 kg of hydrogen per day. Taking the average annual cost as an economic evaluation index, when hydrogen price is higher than $0.16 kg^?1, using PTSC to assist the PEMFC stacks to provide the heat source is a better choice than using the PEMFC stacks alone.