Investigation of a new hybrid fuel cell–ThermoElectric generator–absorption chiller system for combined power and cooling

Abstract

Abstract In this work, a new hybrid system for combined power and cooling applications is developed and investigated. The novelty of this research originates from two major achievements. First, the use of detailed analytical model for double-effect AC with fuel cell. Second, using two heat recovery systems (TEG and AC) to utilize the waste heat from a fuel cell. The system consists of a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), ThermoElectric generator (TEG), and an absorption chiller (AC). The internal heat generation in PAFC is utilized using TEG to achieve additional electricity production, while the exhaust heat by PAFC is utilized to run an AC to produce cooling power. The results show that the maximum useful power (electricity and cooling) obtained from this hybrid system is 11% greater than the maximum electrical power generated by the standalone PAFC. The maximum efficiency of this hybrid system is 7% greater than the maximum standalone PAFC efficiency, but the improvement can reach 10% when optimizing the system operating conditions. The sensitivity analysis study demonstrates that decreasing the operating temperature, increasing the fuel pressure, and decreasing the ambient temperature could enhance the overall hybrid system performance. Additionally, we found that a better performance is achieved when the heat utilized by TEG is minimized and majority of the useful heat is used in the AC.