Engineering-Economic Optimization of a Fuel Cell Cogeneration Plant

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Matsumoto ◽  
R. Yokoyama ◽  
K. Ito
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Capital Cost ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Cogeneration Plant ◽  
Economic Optimization ◽  
Maximum Utility ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Electrical Demand

The feasibility of fuel cells in cogeneration applications is studied from engineering and economic viewpoints by using an optimization approach. Capacities of fuel cell cogeneration units and auxiliary devices are determined together with maximum utility demands so as to minimize the annual total cost by considering the plant’s annual operational strategy. This optimization problem is solved efficiently by considering the hierarchical relationship between unit sizing and operational planning problems. Through a numerical study on a plant for installation in a hotel and office building with a maximum electrical demand of 1000 kW, the effect of initial capital cost of fuel cell cogeneration units is examined from the perspective of the plant capacity, economics, and energy savings. The results show that a fuel cell cogeneration plant may have better economic and energy-saving characteristics than a conventional gas engine cogeneration plant with a reduction in the capital cost of fuel cell.

scholarly journals Experimental and Numerical Study of a Microcogeneration Stirling Unit under On–Off Cycling Operation

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 801
Author(s):  
Gianluca Valenti ◽  
Aldo Bischi ◽  
Stefano Campanari ◽  
Paolo Silva ◽  
Antonino Ravidà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Study ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Operational Cost ◽  
Cogeneration Plant ◽  
Economic Optimization ◽  
Viable Option ◽  
Heating Value ◽  
Energy Flows

Stirling units are a viable option for micro-cogeneration applications, but they operate often with multiple daily startups and shutdowns due to the variability of load profiles. This work focused on the experimental and numerical study of a small-size commercial Stirling unit when subjected to cycling operations. First, experimental data about energy flows and emissions were collected during on–off operations. Second, these data were utilized to tune an in-house code for the economic optimization of cogeneration plant scheduling. Lastly, the tuned code was applied to a case study of a residential flat in Northern Italy during a typical winter day to investigate the optimal scheduling of the Stirling unit equipped with a thermal storage tank of diverse sizes. Experimentally, the Stirling unit showed an integrated electric efficiency of 8.9% (8.0%) and thermal efficiency of 91.0% (82.2%), referred to as the fuel lower and, between parenthesis, higher heating value during the on–off cycling test, while emissions showed peaks in NOx and CO up to 100 ppm but shorter than a minute. Numerically, predictions indicated that considering the on–off effects, the optimized operating strategy led to a great reduction of daily startups, with a number lower than 10 per day due to an optimal thermal storage size of 4 kWh. Ultimately, the primary energy saving was 12% and the daily operational cost was 2.9 €/day.

Optimal Multistage Expansion Planning of a Gas Turbine Cogeneration Plant

1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 803-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Yokoyama ◽  
K. Ito ◽  
Y. Matsumoto
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Planning Problem ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Cogeneration Plant ◽  
Expansion Planning ◽  
Heating And Cooling

A multistage expansion planning problem is discussed concerning a gas turbine cogeneration plant for district heating and cooling using an optimization approach. An optimal sizing method for single-stage planning proposed by the authors is extended to this case. Equipment capacities and utility maximum demands at each expansion stage are determined so as to minimize the levelized annual total cost subject to increasing energy demands. A numerical study on a simple-cycle gas turbine cogeneration plant to be installed in a district development project clarifies the relationship between optimal expansion planning and energy demand trend, and shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Numerical Study of Dead-End Micro Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Ling Wu ◽  
Hee Joo Poh ◽  
Kah Wai Lum ◽  
Xiu Qing Xing
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Standard Condition ◽  
Cell Dynamics ◽  
Cell Region ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Gas Channel ◽  
Dead End ◽  
Contour Plots

In this paper, 3D full size simulation on single cell dead-end micro PEMFC is carried out using Computational Fuel Cell Dynamics (CFDC) analysis. The active area in this Micro PEMFC is about 10 cm2, producing 1A of current under standard condition (25 °C and 1 atm). The dead end anode configuration is achieved by increasing the air flow rate well above stoichometric at the cathode to obtain the complete depletion of hydrogen at anode exit. It is also assumed that the presence of water is only in the vapor phase. Different types (single serpentine and triple serpentine) of gas channel design in dead-end anode are studied and results are compared. The polarization curves for both designs as well as contour plots for the different cell region are presented.

Numerical Study of Thermal Stresses in a Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cun Wang ◽  
Tao Zhang ◽  
Cheng Zhao ◽  
Jian Pu
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell ◽  
Thermal Stresses ◽  
Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Solid Oxide ◽  
Oxide Fuel ◽  
Compressive Loads ◽  
Cte Mismatch

A three dimensional numerical model of a practical planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack based on the finite element method is constructed to analyze the thermal stress generated at different uniform temperatures. Effects of cell positions, different compressive loads, and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch of different SOFC components on the thermal stress distribution are investigated in this work. Numerical results indicate that the maximum thermal stress appears at the corner of the interface between ceramic sealants and cells. Meanwhile the maximum thermal stress at high temperature is significantly larger than that at room temperature (RT) and presents linear growth with the increase of operating temperature. Since the SOFC stack is under the combined action of mechanical and thermal loads, the distribution of thermal stress in the components such as interconnects and ceramic sealants are greatly controlled by the CTE mismatch and scarcely influenced by the compressive loads.

scholarly journals A Numerical Study on Microfluidic Fuel Cell: Improving Fuel Utilization and Fuel Operation Concentration

2014 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 250-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Jin Xuan ◽  
Hong Xu ◽  
Michael K.H. Leung ◽  
Huizhi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Fuel Utilization ◽  
Microfluidic Fuel Cell
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