Abstract
External chemical reactors for steam reforming and water gas shift reactions are needed for a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system using syngas fuel. For the preheating of syngas and stable steam reforming reaction at 600 °C, residual hydrogen from a fuel cell and a certain amount of additional syngas are burned. The combustion temperature is calculated and the molar ratio of the syngas into burner and steam reformer is determined. Based on thermodynamics and electrochemistry, the electric power density and energy conversion efficiency of a PEM fuel cell based syngas are expressed. The effects of the temperature, the hydrogen utilization factor at the anode, and the molar ratio of the syngas into burner and steam reformer on the performance of a PEM fuel cell are discussed. To achieve the maximum power density or efficiency, the key parameters are determined. This manuscript presents the detailed operating process of a PEM fuel cell, the allocation of the syngas for combustion and electric generation, and the feasibility of a PEM fuel cell using syngas.
Highlights
The hydrogen fuel cell is a promising technology for electric vehicle applications [1].Compared with battery-based electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell-based electric vehicles can deliver a much higher range, and the fueling of hydrogen only takes a few minutes
When biomass-derived fuel is used in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, the syngas production [5], steam reforming, and water gas shift reactions are most necessary to provide pure hydrogen
A recent study showed that it is possible to directly use biomass in a fuel cell without converting biomass into hydrogen rich gases [6], the power density is too low for practical applications
Summary
The hydrogen fuel cell is a promising technology for electric vehicle applications [1]. When biomass-derived fuel is used in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, the syngas production [5], steam reforming, and water gas shift reactions are most necessary to provide pure hydrogen. As methane cannot be electrochemically oxidized in the PEM fuel cell and the carbon monoxide can poison the noble metal catalyst in the fuel cell, the further steam reforming and the water gas shift are necessary to convert the residual methane and carbon monoxide to hydrogen, respectively. The molar ratio of fuel into hydrocarbon the steam reforming product [12] and systemand efficiency [13] is present. If there is analytic relation between the proton conductivity and composition of the membrane, the performance of a PEM fuel cell can be optimized. The concentration polarization loss membrane, the performance of a fuel cell can be optimized.
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