The Economic Performance of an Integrated Biogas Plant and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power System (PEMFC-CHP) in Sweden

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Guan ◽  
Per Alvfors
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
District Heating System ◽  
Centralized Biogas Plant ◽  
Exchange Membrane

A Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power system (PEMFC-CHP) fuelled by the hydrogen-rich gas reformed from biogas may be seen as an efficient and sustainable technology. This system can provide electrical and thermal energy dynamically to residential applications. In this study, an assessment of the economic performance of an integrated biogas plant and PEMFC-CHP for Swedish electricity and heat prices is presented. The economic factors considered are the capital and operation & maintenance (O&M) costs of the biogas plant and the PEMFC-CHP, the price of heat and electricity, and the value of the digestate as fertilizer. The analysis includes two cases: 1) both biogas plant and PEMFC-CHP are located on the farm. The farm sells the electricity and heat to the power grid and district heating system, respectively; 2) the PEMFC-CHP is located in a centralized-biogas plant, not on the farm. The manure is transported from farms to the plant. The plant also sells the electricity and heat to the power grid and district heating system. The results show that the farm-based and the centralized biogas plant have almost the same biogas production cost. The electricity cost of today, expected for 2020, and for the break-even of this integrated system are 530, 305 and 197 €/MWh, respectively. With the current trend of the fuel cell industry development, this break-even price may be reached in the near future.

Energy Analysis of a Residential Combined Heat and Power System Based on a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell 1

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Minutillo ◽  
A. Perna
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Energy Analysis ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Cogeneration System ◽  
Exchange Membrane

In this work the preliminary results of the research activity regarding the development of a microcogeneration unit prototype based on a proton exchange membrane fuel cell for residential application have been presented. The combined heat and power (CHP) system, which has been designed to optimize the integration of commercial and precommercial components, is equipped with two fuel cell stacks, a natural gas steam reforming unit, a heat recovery unit, electrical devices such as batteries, dc/ac converters, and auxiliary components such as compressors and pumps. In order to evaluate the electrical and thermal energy production and to estimate the system efficiency, an energy analysis has been carried out by using a numerical model. The simulation results pointed out that the microcogeneration system is able to provide 2.2 kWel and 2.5 kWth with electrical and CHP efficiencies (refer to the low heating value) of 40% and 88%, respectively. Furthermore, the primary energy savings, achievable by using the cogeneration system in comparison with a separate generation of electricity and heat from a centralized power plant and conventional boilers, have been evaluated.

scholarly journals High-Efficiency Combined Heat and Power through a High-Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell and Gas Turbine Hybrid System

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12515
Author(s):  
Gabriele Loreti ◽  
Andrea Luigi Facci ◽  
Stefano Ubertini
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Hybrid System ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Exchange Membrane

High-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells are a promising technology for distributed power generation thanks to their high-power density, high efficiency, low emissions, fast start-up, and excellent dynamic characteristics, together with their high tolerance to CO poisoning (i.e., CO in the feed up to 3%). In this paper, we present an innovative, simple, and efficient hybrid high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cell gas turbine combined heat and power system whose fuel processor relies on partial oxidation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the state-of-the-art fuel processors based on steam reformation may not be the optimal choice for high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells’ power plants. Through steady-state modeling, we determine the optimal operating conditions and the performance of the proposed innovative power plant. The results show that the proposed hybrid combined heat and power system achieves an electrical efficiency close to 50% and total efficiency of over 85%, while a state-of-the-art system based on steam reformation has an electrical efficiency lower than 45%. The proposed innovative plant consists of a regenerative scheme with a limited power ratio between the turbine and fuel cell and limited optimal compression ratio. Therefore, micro-gas turbines are the most fitting type of turbomachinery for the hybrid system.

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