Considerations Regarding the Use of Fuel Cells in Combined Heat and Power for Stationary Applications

Covering the energy demands under environmental protection and satisfying economic and social restrictions, together with decreasing polluting emissions, are impetuous necessities, considering that over half of the pollutant emissions released in the environment are the effect of the processes of electricity and heat production from the classic thermoelectric powerplant. Increasing energy efficiency and intensifying the use of alternative resources are key objectives of global policy. In this context, a range of new energy technologies has been developed, based on alternative energy conversion systems, which have recently been used more and more often for the simultaneous production of electricity and heat. An intensification of the use of combined energy production correlated with the tendency towards the use of clean energy resources can be helpful in achieving the global objectives of increasing fuel diversity and ensuring energy demand. The chapter aims at describing the fuel cell technology, in particular those of the SOFC type, used in the CHP for stationary applications.

Hydrogen Production From Waste and Renewable Resources

Increasing population and rapid urbanization lead to degradation of the natural environment while waste generation and energy crisis are major challenges in the most developing country. Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising energy carriers and capable to replace fossil fuels and meet the world's energy demand and concomitantly reduce toxic emissions. Currently, the world produces around 50 million tonnes/year from the process (i.e., electrolysis of water, steam reforming of hydrocarbons, and auto-thermal processes), but these processes are not sustainable and economical due to energy requirements and waste/pollutants generation. These challenges required growing interest in renewable energy resources such as hydrogen as an energy carrier. Hydrogen production from renewable sources attracted recent research attention because of its potential for sustainability and diversity. Hydrogen can be produced by various thermal, chemical, and biological technologies that include steam reforming, electrolysis, biomass conversion, solar conversion, and biological conversion.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies for Sustainable Stationary Applications

Science has shown that there are two sustainable alternatives to providing energy needs: renewable energy resources and fuel cells-hydrogen-based energy, which will play a complementary role in securing global energy resources. By promoting the use of hydrogen-based energy technologies, as clean energy technologies for stationary applications, at the level of local communities, industrial and commercial communities, research topics in this field will help the practical development of sustainable and clean energy systems. This chapter provides an overview of fuel cells highlighting aspects related to fuel cell short history, the main components and operating principles of fuel cells, the main constructive fuel cell types, and the main ways of powering stationary applications through the hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

Hydrogen-Energy Vector Within a Sustainable Energy System for Stationary Applications

Today, hydrogen is recognized as a non-polluting energy carrier because it does not contribute to global warming if it is produced from renewable energy resources. Hydrogen is the only secondary energy carrier that is suitable for wide application. At the center of attention is the fact that hydrogen can be obtained from a wide range of primary energies. It can be used advantageously for a wide range of applications. Hydrogen can be used in decentralized systems without emitting CO2. Hydrogen is already a part of today's chemical industry, but as an energy resource, its rare benefits can only be achieved through fuel cell technology. The next generations of energy systems for stationary applications based on hydrogen fuel cell have the potential of using and implementing clean energy in the residential buildings sector, as well as in the tertiary and industrial sector, thus having a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions decreasing, specific characteristics of hydrogen technology having an important role in the decarbonization of energy production systems.

Hydrogen Energy Use in Comfort and Transport

This chapter presents aspects of hydrogen use in comfort systems and thermal machines in order to improve performance and to reduce pollution emissions. Hydrogen energy is clean, and its use leads to a reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. It represents an alternative to traditional fuels, oil, coal, and gas. The use of hydrogen preserves traditional fuel resources. In the field of comfort, the energy obtained from hydrogen is applicable in the heating and air conditioning of spaces, in the production of electricity necessary to create light comfort. The use of hydrogen in boilers leads to the reduction of pollutant emissions. Hydrogen fuelling systems were designed for different experimental thermal machines, designed by authors from spark-ignition engine and compression ignition engine. The characteristic combustion parameters, like maximum pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise, efficiency, and pollutant emissions for hydrogen fuelling are presented and analyzed.

Exploration of Ni-P-Based Catalytic Electrodes for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

High efficacy and industrial applicability on electrocatalytic hydrogen production is achieved by proper furnishing of components in the reaction cell. The idea on the basic mechanism of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), efficient modification of available systems, and recent trends in the development strategies of suitable materials are very important to be explored to design novel systems for large-scale production. This review chapter discusses the scientific details on electrocatalytic HER and plausible materials used for catalyzing the reaction. And it outlines the trends in design and development of transition metal-based catalytic coating systems with a special focus on Ni-P alloy coating and scientific aspects of the methods and the materials used for the HER. On the whole, the discussion on HER and its catalytic systems provides an insight of their potential to be explored for enhanced energy production in hydrogen fuel cell technology for stationary and industrial applications.

Overview Regarding Synthetic Gas Production by Biomass Gasification

The renewable energy for the production of syngas (synthetic gas) by gasification of biomass has specific features and objectives. The present chapter aims to describe the specific features of renewable energy for the production of syngas by gasification of biomass. The specific objective refers to the study of the equipment for the production of synthetic gaseous fuels (syngas) by gasification of biomass. The “biomass” term can be defined generically as the biodegradable part of agricultural products, residues and waste, gathering both animal and plant substances, wood industry, and also the biodegradable component of urban and industrial waste. Biomass sources are the most found renewable resources on Earth, also including all the organic components resulted from the organism's metabolic process, being the first resource of energy man has used, since the discovery of fire.

On-Board and Off-Board Technologies for Hydrogen Storage

Future energy systems will be determined by the increasing relevance of renewable energy resources due to global warming, energy crisis, and pollution. Hydrogen is considered one of the promising alternative fuels to replace oil, but its storage remains a significant challenge. The main hydrogen storage technologies can be broadly classified as physical, chemical, and hybrid methods. The physical methods rely on compression and liquefaction of hydrogen, and currently, compressed hydrogen storage is the most mature technology that is commercially available. The chemical methods utilize materials to store hydrogen, and hydrogen can be extracted by on-board regenerable or off-board regenerable chemical reactions depending on the type of material. Hybrid methods take advantage of both physical and chemical storage methods. The most prominent hybrid method is the cryo-adsorption hydrogen storage which utilizes physisorption-based porous materials. The chapter describes these technologies and discusses alternative/novel hydrogen storage material technologies.

Three-Dimensional Numerical Study of Overheating of Two Intermediate Temperature P-AS-SOFC Geometrical Configurations

The purpose of this work is to perform a three-dimensional and stationary numerical study of the heat transfer phenomenon in the planar anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells operating at intermediate temperature (IT-P-AS-SOFC). With particular interest to evaluate and localize the maximum and minimum temperatures in a single cell during their stable operation according to two geometrical configuration types, repetition, and symmetry of the cell stages to determine the best configuration that minimizes and produces more homogeneous thermal stresses and logically improves their lifetime and performance. The considered heat sources are mainly due to electrical overpotentials (Ohm, activation, and concentration). The results are obtained according to a FORTRAN code based on the proposed model that is numerically modeled using the finite difference method. From the obtained result analysis, the achieved temperature values by IT-P-AS-SOFC with cell stages repetition are greater than obtained by IT-P-AS-SOFC with cell stages symmetry.

Energy Storage Systems

Energy storage is a vital component in the chain of production-distribution-consumption of energy, even more so if the energy comes from a source that is intermittent and/or is not controllable as is the case with for example solar energy and wind energy. For many people, the term energy storage is the storage of electricity in batteries, as it is the most commonly found way of storing energy. In addition to classic batteries, there are other energy storage alternatives from a primary source for later use. The most valuable forms of energy storage are the ones that can both take over and release the energy on demand, in the form of electricity, such that, in the end, the electrical energy is transformed into thermal or mechanical energy. In stationary applications, energy can be stored in various forms such as batteries, ultracapacitors, or tanks of hydrogen, water, and different types of materials. This chapter will evaluate each form of energy storage.