Bioethanol Solar Reforming System for Distributed Fuel Cell

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Hydrogen Production Characteristics of a Bioethanol Solar Reforming System with Solar’ and ‘Efficiency Analysis of a Combined PEFC and Bioethanol-Solar-Reforming System for Individual Houses’. Heat transfer analysis applied in reforming the catalyst layer of the reactor of FBSR (bioethanol steam reforming system) and the temperature distribution and transient response characteristics of the gas composition of the process are investigated in the 1st section The overall efficiency of the production of electricity and heat power of the FBSR system is determined by examining its thermal output characteristic in the 2nd section. It dependes for the overall efficiency of the system on the amount of solar radiation fluctuation rather than the amount of solar radiation.

Characteristics of PEFC / Woody Biomass Engine Hybrid Microgrid and Exergy Analysis

This chapter consists of three sections, ‘Dynamic Characteristics of PEFC / Woody Biomass Engine Hybrid Microgrid’, ‘Exergy Analysis of the Woody Biomass Stirling Engine and PEFC Combined System with Exhaust Heat Reforming’ and ‘Exergy Analysis of A Regional Distributed PEM Fuel Cell System’. The chapter describes the exhaust heat of the combustion of woody biomass engine using a Stirling cycle that was used for the city gas reforming reaction of a PEFC system. The response characteristic of PEFC and woody biomass engine is investigated by the experiment and numerical analysis. Finally, a combined system that uses the exhaust heat of the woody biomass Stirling engine for the steam reforming of city gas and that supplies the produced reformed gas to a PEFC is proposed.

Fuel Cell Microgrid with Wind Power Generation

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Analysis of a Fuel Cell Microgrid with a Small-Scale Wind Turbine Generator’ and ‘Power Characteristics of a Fuel Cell Microgrid with Wind Power Generation.’ An independent microgrid is expected to be effective in cutting greenhouse gas discharge and energy costs. Therefore, the operating conditions of an independent microgrid that supplies power with renewable power sources and fuel cells are investigated in the 1st section. In the 2nd section, the dynamic characteristics of fuel cell microgrid are investigated in numerical analysis, and the cost of fuel consumption and efficiency is also calculated. In addition, the stabilization time of the microgrid and its dynamic characteristics accompanied by wind-power-generation and fluctuation of the power load are clarified.

Effective Improvement in Generation Efficiency of a Fuel Cell Microgrid

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Effective Improvement in Generation Efficiency due to Partition Cooperation Management of a Fuel Cell Microgrid’ and ‘Equipment Plan of Compound Interconnection Microgrid Composed from Diesel Power’. In the 1st section, the PEFC microgrid is explored as a distributed power supply with little environmental impact. The proposed system obtains results with high generation efficiency compared with the central system of a fuel cell microgrid. An independent microgrid that compounds and connects a diesel power plant generator and PEFC is proposed in the 2nd section. A complex community model and residential area model were used for analysis.

Operating Schedule of a Combined Energy Network System

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Operating Schedule of a Combined Energy Network System with Fuel Cell’ and ‘Fuel Cell Network System Considering Reduction in Fuel Cell Capacity Using Load Leveling and Heat Release Loss’. The chromosome model showing system operation pattern is applied to GA (genetic algorithm), and the method of optimization operation planning of energy system is developed in the 1st section. In the case study, the operation planning was performed for the energy system using the energy demand pattern of the individual residence of Sapporo, Japan. Reduction in fuel cell capacity linked to a fuel cell network system is considered in the 2nd section. Such an energy network is analyzed assuming connection of individual houses, a hospital, a hotel, a convenience store, an office building, and a factory.

Microgrid with Numerical Weather Information

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Compound Microgrid Installation Operation Planning of a PEFC and Photovoltaics with Prediction of Electricity Production Using GA and Numerical Weather Information’ and ‘Energy Supply Characteristics of a Combined Solar Cell and Diesel Engine System with a Prediction Algorithm for Solar Power Generation’. The optimal operation algorithm of a photovoltaics compound microgrid is developed using numerical weather information (NWI) in the 1st section. The relation between the NWI error characteristics and the operation results of the system is clarified. The 2nd section proposes a prediction algorithm based on a neural network to predict the electricity production from a solar cell. The operation plan for a combined photovoltaics and diesel engine generator is examined using the NN prediction algorithm.

Installation Plan of a Fuel Cell Cogeneration System

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Installation Plan of a Fuel Cell Microgrid System Optimized by Maximizing Power Generation Efficiency’ and ‘Fuel Cell Network with Water Electrolysis for Improving Partial Load Efficiency of a Residential Cogeneration System.’ A microgrid that use PEFC may significantly reduce the environmental impact when compared with traditional power plants. The 1st section investigates what occurs when a set of PEFCs and a natural gas reformer are connected to the microgrid in an urban area. In the 2nd section, a fuel cell energy network which connects hydrogen and oxygen gas pipes, electric power lines and exhaust heat output lines of the PEFC cogeneration for individual houses is analyzed.

Design Support Using a Neural Network Algorithm

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Dynamic Operational Scheduling Algorithm for an Independent Microgrid with Renewable Energy’ and ‘Operation Prediction of a Bioethanol Solar Reforming System Using a Neural Network’. In the 1st section, a dynamic operational scheduling algorithm is developed using a neural network and a genetic algorithm to provide predictions for solar cell power output (PAS). The section shows that operating the microgrid according to the plan derived with PAS was far superior, in terms of equipment hours of operation, to that using past average weather data. Because solar radiation and outside air temperature are unstable, it is difficult to predict operation of the system with accuracy. Therefore, the 2nd section developes an operation prediction program of the FBSR (bioethanol reforming system) using a layered neural network (NN) with the error-correction learning method.

Independent Microgrid Composed of Distributed Engine Generator

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Energy Cost of an Independent Microgrid with Control of Power Output Sharing of a Distributed Engine Generator’ and ‘Improvement of Power Generation Efficiency of an Independent Microgrid Composed of Distributed Engine Generators’. In the 1st section, small kerosene diesel-engine power generators are introduced into an independent microgrid, and power and heat are supplied to 20 houses. If the proposed system is introduced into a community with little heat demand, effectiveness will decrease greatly. The 2nd section investigates the power generation efficiency and power cost of an independent microgrid that distributes the power from a small diesel engine power generator. When the number of distributions of the engine generator is installed, the cost of the fuel decreases.

Compound Microgrid of City-Gas Engine and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

This chapter consists of two sections, ‘Amount of CO2 Discharged from Compound Microgrid of Hydrogenation City-Gas Engine and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell’ and ‘Power Characteristics of a Fuel Cell Microgrid with Wind Power Generation’. In the 1st section, a microgrid composed from a PEFC and a hydrogenation city gas engine is investigated using numerical simulation. The system which combined base-load operation of PEFC and load fluctuation operation of hydrogenation city gas engine is the most advantageous. The independent PEFC power supply system relating to hydrogen energy is investigated in the 2nd section. The hybrid cogeneration system (HCGS) that uses a PEFC and a hydrogen mixture gas engine (NEG) together to improve power generation efficiency during partial load of fuel cell cogeneration is proposed.