Performance Investigation of Direct oupling Advanced Alkaline Electrolysis and PEMFC System

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is regarded as the most competitive candidate to replace the traditional forms of power conversion due to its prominent advantages. The hydrogen gas is used as a main fuel in the fuel cells. The hydrogen gas can be produced through the use of solar energy which is connected to alkaline electrolysis cell (AEC) by water splitting process known as electrolysis. In this paper,a thermodynamic model is presented to design and optimize a direct coupling system (DCS) that has two cells, an alkaline electrolysis cell (AEC) and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Moreover, the performances of the direct coupling system (DCS) are evaluated using numerical model that are built in Engineering Equations solver software. So several parameters concerning the direct coupling system (DCS) such as the voltage of system, the hydrogen rate production from electrolysis which injects to fuel cell and producing power of the full system. The simulations result show that, the voltage of alkaline electrolysis is higher than the fuel cell. The water management process in the whole system is considered satisfactory due to the low value of the losses in the amount of water. The water which is generated from the fuel cell is injected to electrolysis cell, so the electrolysis cell does not need to inject large quantities of water. The efficiency of the system is about 34.85% and this efficiency is satisfactory compared to other systems of power generation as this percentage is due to clean, renewable and environmentally friendly fuel.

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Kilowatt-Scale Fuel Cell Systems Powered by Recycled Aluminum

Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage ◽

10.1115/1.4046660 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peter Godart ◽

Jason Fischman ◽

Douglas Hart

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Power System ◽

Proton Exchange Membrane ◽

Electrical Power ◽

Hydrogen Gas ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Hydrogen Fuel Cell ◽

Cell Systems ◽

Scrap Aluminum ◽

Exchange Membrane

Abstract Presented here is a novel system that uses an aluminum-based fuel to continuously produce electrical power at the kilowatt scale via a hydrogen fuel cell. This fuel has an energy density of 23.3 kW h/L and can be produced from abundant scrap aluminum via a minimal surface treatment of gallium and indium. These additional metals, which in total comprise 2.5% of the fuel’s mass, permeate the grain boundary network of the aluminum to disrupt its oxide layer, thereby enabling the fuel to react exothermically with water to produce hydrogen gas and aluminum oxyhydroxide (AlOOH), an inert and valuable byproduct. To generate electrical power using this fuel, the aluminum–water reaction is controlled via water input to a reaction vessel in order to produce a constant flow of hydrogen, which is then consumed in a fuel cell to produce electricity. As validation of this power system architecture, we present the design and implementation of two proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems that successfully demonstrate this approach. The first is a 3 kW emergency power supply, and the second is a 10 kW power system integrated into a BMW i3 electric vehicle.

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P2H Modeling and Operation in the Microgrid Under Coupled Electricity–Hydrogen Markets

Frontiers in Energy Research ◽

10.3389/fenrg.2021.812767 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Hongxin Liu ◽

Yueyao Wang ◽

Feifei Xu ◽

Mengkai Wu ◽

Kai Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electricity Market ◽

Large Scale ◽

Proton Exchange Membrane ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Market Model ◽

Electrolysis Cell ◽

Unified Modeling ◽

Upper Level ◽

Alkaline Electrolysis ◽

Exchange Membrane

The uncertainty and volatility of wind power have led to large-scale wind curtailment during grid connections. The adoption of power-to-hydrogen (P2H) system in a microgrid (MG) can mitigate the renewable curtailment by hydrogen conversion and storage. This paper conducts unified modeling for different types of P2H systems and considers the multi-energy trading in a hydrogen-coupled power market. The proposed bi-level equilibrium model is beneficial to minimize the energy cost of microgrids. Firstly, a microgrid operation model applied to different P2H systems including an alkaline electrolysis cell (AEC), a proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell (PEMEC), or a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) is proposed at the upper level. Secondly, an electricity market–clearing model and a hydrogen market model are constructed at the lower level. Then, the diagonalization algorithm is adopted to solve the multi-market equilibrium problem. Finally, case studies based on an IEEE 14-bus system are conducted to validate the proposed model, and the results show that the microgrid with a P2H system could gain more profits and help increase the renewable penetration.

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The Control of Hydrogen Flow in Keeping with Load Changing at the PEMFC

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.249-250.477 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 249-250 ◽

pp. 477-480

Author(s):

Young Guan Jung ◽

Chul Min Hwang ◽

Dea Heum Park ◽

Kyoung Hoon Kim ◽

Chul Ho Han

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Proton Exchange Membrane ◽

Control Unit ◽

Cell System ◽

Hydrogen Gas ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Hydrogen Flow ◽

Fuel Flow ◽

Low Power System ◽

Exchange Membrane

The performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) under the fuel control system was investigated experimentally using dry hydrogen and oxygen gas. In this study, experiments have been carried out on the unit cell with the active area of 25cm2. Both sides of outflow lines were closed by valves. This investigation focuses on the low-power system which has a fuel flow control unit. The change of internal pressure in fuel cell and the checked system load were used as the control conditions for the solenoid valve. As the system loads were changed unexpectedly, the on/off control of fuel line was proposed as the way to supply hydrogen gas efficiently into the fuel cell. As a result, it was shown that the proposed procedures can display the load variation and increase the power request. Furthermore, this study could be beneficial for the fuel saving and the safety of fuel cell system.

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Proton Exchange Membrane Hydrogen Fuel Cell as the Grid Connected Power Generator

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13246679 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 6679

Author(s):

Koushik Ahmed ◽

Omar Farrok ◽

Md Mominur Rahman ◽

Md Sawkat Ali ◽

Md Mejbaul Haque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Proton Exchange Membrane ◽

Electrical Power ◽

Current Control ◽

Hydrogen Gas ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Fuel Supply ◽

Air Supply ◽

Electrical Generator ◽

Exchange Membrane

In this paper, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is implemented as a grid-connected electrical generator that uses hydrogen gas as fuel and air as an oxidant to produce electricity through electrochemical reactions. Analysis demonstrated that the performance of the PEMFC greatly depends on the rate of fuel supply and air supply pressure. Critical fuel and air supply pressures of the PEMFC are analysed to test its feasibility for the grid connection. Air and fuel supply pressures are varied to observe the effects on the PEMFC characteristics, efficiency, fuel supply, and air consumption over time. The PEMFC model is then implemented into an electrical power system with the aid of power electronics applications. Detailed mathematical modelling of the PEMFC is discussed with justification. The PEMFC functions as an electrical generator that is connected to the local grid through a power converter and a transformer. Modulation of the converter is controlled by means of a proportional-integral controller. The two-axis control methodology is applied to the current control of the system. The output voltage waveform and control actions of the controller on the current and frequency of the proposed system are plotted as well. Simulation results show that the PEMFC performs efficiently under certain air and fuel pressures, and it can effectively supply electrical power to the grid.

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Direct coupling of a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell with hydrogen produced by catalytic partial dehydrogenation of a gasoline-ethanol blend (E10)

Journal of Power Sources ◽

10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.229921 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 498 ◽

pp. 229921

Author(s):

Rafael Garcia Garrido ◽

Mélanie Taillades-Jacquin ◽

Gilles Taillades ◽

Frédéric Lecoeur ◽

Nicolas Donzel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Temperature ◽

Fuel Cell ◽

Proton Exchange Membrane ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Direct Coupling ◽

Exchange Membrane

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Preliminary Analysis of Hydrogen Production Integrated with Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202014101009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 141 ◽

pp. 01009

Author(s):

Lida Simasatitkul ◽

Suksun Amornraksa ◽

Natcha Wangprasert ◽

Thanaporn Wongjirasavat

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cell ◽

Hydrogen Production ◽

Steam Reforming ◽

Proton Exchange Membrane ◽

Hydrogen Gas ◽

Proton Exchange ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

High Price ◽

Pure Hydrogen ◽

Exchange Membrane

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an interesting option for electricity generation. However, the usage of pure hydrogen feeding to PEMFC faces many problems such as high price and gas storage capacity. On-board fuel processor integrated with PEMFC is therefore a more preferable option. Two hydrogen production processes from crude ethanol feed, a by-product of fermentation of corn stover, integrated with PEMFC were developed and proposed. They are steam reforming (SR) process integrated with PEMFC and steam reforming process coupled with a CO preferential oxidation (COPROX) reactor with PEMFC. The results showed that the optimal operating conditions for both processes were similar i.e. S/F ratio of 9, WGS reactor temperature of 250oC and membrane area of 0.6 m2. However, the optimal SR temperature of both processes were different i.e. 500oC and 460oC. Both processes produced pure hydrogen gas at 0.53 mol/s. The energy requirement of the SR process alone was higher than SR process coupled with a COPROX about 0.19 MW. The produced hydrogen gas entered PEMFC at current density of 1.1 A cm-2, generating the power at of 0.44 W cm-2.

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