Stationary Fuel Cell Research Articles

Dynamic LCA of fuel cell-assisted bike in consideration of Pt catalyst degradation in various operating conditions

Fuel cell (FC) systems have recently become increasingly popular in large applications, such as FC vehicles and stationary FC power systems for residences. The use of FC systems in smaller applications, such as electrically power-assisted bicycles and drones, is expected to expand. FC systems exert a low environmental impact during operation. However, in the future, the environmental impact during the manufacturing phase ought to be additionally considered. There is a concern that the sale of products may be restricted, if they fail to meet legal standards, such as the life cycle assessment (LCA) regulations in the EU countries. For instance, in TC 105 of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the technical specification of LCA methodology for a stationary FC co-generation system was issued. This study evaluates the abiotic depletion potential (ADP) in the manufacturing phase and global warming potential (GWP). As the platinum (Pt) catalyst of FC significantly impacts the environment, more than lithium and cobalt, used in conventional lithium-ion batteries, each FC application ought to be designed considering all life cycle stages, while optimizing performance product life. As a promising example, we analyzed the performance drop caused by Pt degradation during the use phase of the assisted bicycle. Moreover, the dynamic performance of the FC-assisted bikes with an FC device and the supplemental power source of a Li-ion battery were evaluated under various operating conditions.

(Digital Presentation) Integration of Renewable Hydrogen Production, Compression and Storage for Mobile and Stationary Fuel Cells

With the rapid increase in the photovoltaic (PV) installations, the intermittency and the variability of the solar energy sources will lead to the frequent and steep ramping operation of conventional fossil generation. Consequently, energy storage is required for efficient use of the renewable energy source. Hydrogen production via electrolysis can provide both short and long duration capacity as a controllable load to reduce grid fluctuations and improve the resilience of the energy system. Once the hydrogen is produced, it must be stored before it is consumed. High pressure gaseous hydrogen storage is the most popular and mature hydrogen storage technology due to the technical simplicity, reliability, energy efficiency as well as affordability [1]. Compressed hydrogen storage with a fast filling-emptying rate can be used as a hydrogen multiple-purpose station for both stationary fuel cell and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) applications. Although hydrogen electrolyzers, stationary fuel cells, and FCEV refueling stations have been extensively studied, little work has been done integrating these hydrogen technologies with a utility PV field to ensure electric grid stability, maximize PV utilization and efficiently produce and consume hydrogen. A model for a complete system of hydrogen production via electrolysis and high-pressure hydrogen storage was developed. The dynamic performance of different hydrogen storage filling and emptying operations with electrolyzer, stationary fuel cell and FCEV shows the feasibility and flexibility of the integrated hydrogen system.A high-fidelity dynamic model of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer was developed for hydrogen production from PV electricity. A parallel multi-stage hydrogen compression system with cascade tanks for filling/emptying was designed and modeled. A non-adiabatic lumped dynamic model was developed for the storage tank with heat transfer from the tank to ambient air. The Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state was adopted to account for the non-ideal gas response of high-pressure gaseous hydrogen [2]. The 1 MW electrolyzer under full load produces hydrogen at 200 Nm3/hr (17.7 kg/hr) and the hydrogen can be compressed up to the maximum pressure of 45 MPa suitable for heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles.The storage tanks can be filled with constant/varied hydrogen flow from the electrolyzer depending on the PV power. The compressor and heat exchanger duties as well as the storage tank pressure and temperature are monitored and controlled. The tanks can be discharged to the stationary fuel cell and/or FCEVs. The dynamic performance of integrated hydrogen system for PV smoothing (filling with varied hydrogen flow in short time-scale), peak shaving (filling and emptying with constant hydrogen flow in long time-scale) and FCEV refueling (cascade filling and emptying) will be presented. The feasibility and flexibility of integrated hydrogen production and storage system for grid operation will be shown.[1] Li, Mengxiao, Yunfeng Bai, Caizhi Zhang, Yuxi Song, Shangfeng Jiang, Didier Grouset, and Mingjun Zhang. "Review on the research of hydrogen storage system fast refueling in fuel cell vehicle." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 44, no. 21 (2019): 10677-10693.[2] Xiao, Lei, Jianye Chen, Yimei Wu, Wei Zhang, Jianjun Ye, Shuangquan Shao, and Junlong Xie. "Effects of pressure levels in three-cascade storage system on the overall energy consumption in the hydrogen refueling station." International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 46, no. 61 (2021): 31334-31345.

Environmental Impacts Analysis of Stationary Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Generation Systems

Environmental Impacts Analysis of Stationary Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Generation Systems

U.S. Manufacturers among Leading Suppliers in Growing Stationary Fuel Cell Market

Global demand for stationary fuel cells (a low emission, power generation technology)1 is increasing, with shipments almost doubling during 2012–18. The United States was the largest manufacturer of stationary fuel cells in 2018, and a significant exporter. U.S. manufacturers are likely to benefit from continued global market growth, though there is significant foreign competition and many firms are not yet profitable.

건물용 연료전지-보일러 복합설치 안전성능 평가에 관한 연구

건물용 연료전지-보일러 복합설치 안전성능 평가에 관한 연구

Exergetic, environmental and economic sustainability assessment of stationary Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells

In this study, exergetic, environmental and economic (3E) analyses have been performed in order to provide sustainability indicators from resource extraction to the final product of stationary power Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) systems (500 kW). Two environmental life cycle impact assessment methods have been selected: the ReCiPe 2016 hierarchical midpoint and endpoint, and the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE). The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) under technology cost and performance parameters was calculated to analyze the system from the economic point of view. The global warming potential (GWP) is estimated to be 0.549 kg CO2-eq/kWh while acidification (5.06e−4 kg SO2-eq/kWh), eutrophication (9.81e−4 kg P-eq. freshwater/kWh), ozone layer depletion (4.11e−6 kg CFC-11-eq/kWh) and human toxicity (1.07 kg 1,4-DB-eq/kWh). Aggregated CEENE was estimated to be about 8.55 MJex/kWh. Results show that majority of impacts are dominated by fuel supply, while some others are dominated by manufacturing of system. GWP is the only impact category dominated by system operation. Due to potentially high electrical efficiency, MCFC energy systems can lead to lower CEENE and improvements of global warming, fossil fuel and resource scarcity, and photochemical oxidant formation potential with respect to other conventional energy conversion systems. Advances in longer lifetimes of the MCFC stack can help trigger innovation in manufacturing processes and will lead to less resource use of electricity, metal, and minerals, thus less resource scarcity and toxicity related burdens. The baseline LCOE is calculated 0.1265 €/kWh being comparable with the Italian grid (0.15–0.16 €/kWh). The costing results indicate that the unit decreasing the system capital cost could potentially reduce the LCOE by around 25%. Advancing the use of life-cycle thinking in MCFC industry with site-specific data raise systems credibility and enables clarifying the trade-offs between the sustainability pillars, thus designing more sustainable products.

LCA分析とDEAを用いた家庭用燃料電池システムにおける環境性及び性能を考慮した指標（FC-DEA）の提案

LCA分析とDEAを用いた家庭用燃料電池システムにおける環境性及び性能を考慮した指標（FC-DEA）の提案

4-11 定置用燃料電池システムの低コスト化・高性能化技術の実用性評価((3)燃料電池(1),Session 4 新エネルギー,研究発表(口頭発表))

4-11 定置用燃料電池システムの低コスト化・高性能化技術の実用性評価((3)燃料電池(1),Session 4 新エネルギー,研究発表(口頭発表))

Design and Analysis of Glycerol Reformer for Stationary Fuel Cell Applications

In this paper a packed-bed reformer and fuel cell stack system in which glycerol is reformed to produce sufficient hydrogen to generate 1 kW of power for stationary power applications (e.g., remote campsites, back-up power generators for hurricane-prone areas) is designed and analysed. Hydrogen produced in the reformer is sent to a solid-oxide fuel cell stack that produces power. Part of the generated power is utilised to electrically heat the reformer. It is shown that a glycerol flow rate of 1.8×10−3mols−1 and a fuel cell stack with 20 cells is sufficient to produce a net power of 1 kW. The pressure drop in the reformer is found to be about 34%.

Demonstrating the Business Case for Biogas-Fueled Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Demonstrating the Business Case for Biogas-Fueled Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

An Empirical Stationary Fuel Cell Model Using Limited Experimental Data for Identification

New technologies for efficient operation of fuel cells require modern techniques in system modeling. Such fuel cell models do not require giving any information about physical mechanisms or internal states of the system. They must be rather precise and should consume less computing time. From the point of view of system theory, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are multiple input and single output (MISO) systems. The inputs of a fuel cell are the drawn current, the gas pressures at anode and cathode side, and the humidity of these gases which influence the system output, namely the cell voltage, in a nonlinear way. The state of the art in the industry is to describe such nonlinear systems by the usage of lookup tables with a large amount of data. An alternative way to model the input-output behavior of nonlinear systems is the usage of so called black-box and gray-box model approaches. In the last decade, artificial neuronal networks (ANN) became more popular in black-box modeling of nonlinear systems with multiple inputs. Further, if some of the internal processes of a nonlinear system can be mathematically described, a gray-box model is more preferred. In the first part of this paper, the suitability of ANN's in the form of a multilayer perceptron (MLP) network with different numbers of hidden neurons is investigated. A way to confirm the validity for the identified network was worked out. In the second part of this contribution, a gray-box model, valid for a large operating area, based on published semi-empirical models is introduced. Six experimental campaigns for parameter identification and model validation were carried out. The five inputs previously described were varied in a wide range to cover a large operating range. In the last part of this paper, both modeling approaches are investigated with respect to their ability to identify model parameters using a limited number of experimental data.

Efficient Hydrogen Production for a Stationary Fuel Cell System: Two-Degree-of-Freedom Control of a Steam Reformer Unit

This article focuses on an essential part of a stationary fuel cell-based power plant, namely the reforming unit that produces H2. The reformer is fueled by either CH4 or DME, depending on the catalyst. A detailed dynamic model of the reformer dynamics is derived, which takes into account the spatial distribution of system states such as temperatures and mass fractions. Parameters for the resulting model are identified and a modal transformation is applied to reduce computational complexity and enable comprehensible controller design. The inner loop of the cascaded controller aims at closely following a given H2 output trajectory. At the same time, the outer control loop keeps the CO output below a given maximum level, thus ensuring that only a minimum of climate relevant gases is exhausted.

Numerical Investigation of a Delta High Power Density Cell and Comparison With a Flattened Tubular High Power Density Cell

The thermal, electrical, and fluid flow fields associated with a Siemens Power Generation Inc., Stationary Fuel Cells, flattened tubular high power density (HPD) solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) were investigated comprehensively in a previous study. The present computational investigation is the subsequent part of an ongoing numerical pursuit at Siemens of an optimized cell geometry, commercialization of SOFC technology being the ultimate objective. A Delta type HPD cell featuring eight air channels was investigated and compared with a flattened tubular HPD cell. The computational models were developed using the commercial computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT 6.2 along with its SOFC user defined routine to model the electrochemical effects. The SOFC model parameters were derived from experimental data. The cathode, the anode, and the interconnection layers of the cell were resolved in the model and all modes of heat transfer, conduction, convection, and radiation were included. The resulting electrical performance and the thermal hydraulic characteristics of the cells for fully reformed natural gas fuel flow (reformed external to the cell) are presented and discussed. It was clear from these studies that the Delta HPD cell has distinct advantages over the flattened HPD cell in terms of system electrical performance as well as power density.

Codes and Standards for Stationary Fuel Cell Installations and Testing of Single PEMFC as Applicable in the USA

With the proliferation of the various distributed power plants including fuel cell for mobility and stationary applications, there is a need to address the issues of codes and standards by all the players. At the moment, various states in the U.S. and the Federal Government agencies are expanding their infrastructural networks to accommodate the vast growing demand for alternative energy and soon, various nations will expand their fuel cell installations too. Knowledge of the fuel cell installation's codes and standards will reduce incidents and accidents and makeovers and streamline the quality of installation. The relevance of codes and standards is that the infrastructure will satisfy the applicable regional or national codes. The second part of this report addresses the applicable test protocol for testing single proton exchange membrane- PEM fuel cell as developed by the U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC). This enables test results from various laboratories and institutions to be compared on the same basis. This work addresses mechanical and electrical installation codes requirements and low temperature PEM operating below 80 oC.

Codes and Standards for Stationary Fuel Cell Installations and Testing of Single PEMFC as Applicable in the USA

not Available.

Methane Dilution Effect on a 5 kW Tubular SOFC System

The EOS Project carries on an industrial research on Stationary Fuel Cells based on the SOFC technology developed by Siemens, through a co-operation between TurboCare S.p.A. and Politecnico di Torino. This paper describes testing of the 5kW Alpha 6 SOFC with a low heating value fuel. A factorial analysis has been applied considering three factors: methane percentage, stack temperature and current. The obtained data have been analyzed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for every dependent variable and a non-linear regression model for the voltage. Those models were used to evaluate the performance of the system. The analysis has focused on how fuel dilution affects the local fuel utilization in different sectors of the stack.

Economic and Practical Feasibility Studies of Ammonia Electrolysis as In-Situ Hydrogen Producers for Stationary Fuel Cells

not Available.

Regression Models Analysis and Optimization of a SOFC SFC 5 kWe Field Unit

The EOS Project carries on an industrial research on Stationary Fuel Cells based on the SOFC technology developed by Siemens Power Generation Stationary Fuel Cells, through a co-operation between TurboCare S.p.A. (a subsidiary of Siemens Power Generation) and Politecnico di Torino. Two SOFC units have been installed and are currently in operation in the TurboCare workshop. The CHP100 generator was commissioned on June 19, 2005, and to date has shown more than 36,000 operating hours at this scale (record availability of 99.5%); the SFC5 alpha6 Generator is in operation since more than 7,000 hours. In the paper the performance of the 5 kW generator are analyzed. First, we have made two experimental analysis of the main variables of the generator with perturbation of the fuel utilization, the generator temperature and the management of the air distribution. Then, the regression models, obtained from the first test campaign and describing the behaviour of the generator, have been used to optimize the system.

Development of Delta-Type High Power Density Solid Oxide Fuel Cells at Siemens Stationary Fuel Cells

This paper describes recent development in Siemens Stationary Fuel Cells of Delta-type high power density solid oxide fuel cells, the foundation for future high power and high efficiency electrical power generation. Relatively high-level overviews are given in the areas of cell materials, basic cell design, basic bundle design and basic module design. The testing results of six-cell Delta 9 bundle and single Delta 8 cell are particularly highlighted to demonstrate the unique advantage of high power density and high total power presented by Delta geometry.

Adoption of stationary fuel cells: a focus group study with potential users

This study is concerned with the adoption of stationary Fuel Cells (FCs) for energy supply by different user groups. FCs are an emerging technology, which many enterprises hope to launch on the market in the coming years. Based on Rogers's innovation diffusion theory, we conducted six focus groups with 49 industrial users and six focus groups with 54 different private end-consumers. We analysed advantages and barriers as seen by the potential users and investigated what relevant motives underlay their decisions to invest in such an innovative technology. The findings indicate that FCs may not be adopted very quickly. In our conclusion, we point towards communication strategies that could be used when this technology is launched on the market.