Search results for "Fuel Cell"
showing 10 items of 260 documents
UPS fuel cell based: An innovative back-up system
2007
The aim of the paper is to evaluate the technical feasibility and aspects related to the use, in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), of fuel cells instead of traditional electrochemical batteries. The proposed system, named UPS-FCB (Fuel Cell Based) presents a modular and versatile system configuration; particularly it is possible to integrate it with traditional UPS. Moreover the system features can be modified in terms of power, reliability, back-up time, etc., by changing the power devices. A detailed experimental analysis has been carried out on a passive stand-by UPS integrated with a FCB; experimental results can be easily extended to the other possible system architectures. © 2007…
FPGA implementation of a fuel cell emulator
2010
Fuel cell based systems are usually tested with the aid of high-cost and complex auxiliary devices. A fuel cell emulator is an attractive solution for preliminary downward system test. The emulator replaces the effective power source saving cost, volume and hydrogen reserve still ensuring high-accuracy of test results. The use of a highperformance fuel cell model is essential for a successful conclusion of the overall design process. Although the proposed emulator is suitable for each fuel cell type and power level, a 10W Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell emulator is designed and tested. An FPGA based controller models the fuel cell steady-state and dynamic behaviour, including temperature…
Simulation model of a molten carbonate fuel cellemicroturbine hybrid system
2011
A Hybrid System based on High Temperature Fuel Cells coupled to a Microturbine allows a high efficiency, low environmental pollution and it may be exploited as a CHP System producing heat and electricity both Grid Connected and Stand Alone; the overall electrical efficiency could reach a very high value (up to 60%) and total efficiency could be over 70% including the contribution due to heat recovery. In the context of wide research activities of ENEA on High Temperature Fuel Cells and Hybrid Systems e that involve materials, system BoP and fuels e a very great effort has been devoted to design and build, in the ENEA Research Centre of “Casaccia”, an experimental Test-Rig based on a Molten …
Technical, Environmental and Economical Aspects of Hybrid Systems Including Renewables and Fuel Cells
2006
In this paper, some configurations including renewables and fuel cells are studied. Technical, environmental and economical aspects are treated in the frame of the EU regulations concerning the ‘emission trading’ issue and the way in which Italy has implemented the relevant EU directive. The study has been carried out considering some architectures including renewables such as photovoltaic and wind with a back up system to increase continuity of supply based on the application of fuel cells and of a hydrogen storage system. Performing several runs with different values of the cost of energy (COE) bought from the network and produced with traditional fuel, it has been observed that, for some…
Distribution grid analysys through PSAT open source tools
2015
In this paper a study of an electrical distribution grid with presence of renewable energy sources performed using the Power System Analysis Tool is presented. The paper describes the load flow analysis of a real existing grid owned by the Italian DSO “ENEL Distribuzione SpA” and located in an urban area.
A circuit model of a 5kW fuel cell
2013
In the last few years, industrial research has been focused on renewable energy sources. Owing to combined heat-power generation option, fuel cells have attracted much interest for a wide variety of research areas. Household appliances are still the most promising applications. Fuel cell modeling is still a critical topic to focus on, affecting each stage of power system design. This paper describes an empirical method to model a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The modeling approach is applied to a 5kW Nuvera PowerFlow fuel cell. A circuit model is proposed for further applications. PSPICE implementation is described and the parameters tuning procedure is discussed. Simulation and exper…
A novel fuel cell-based power system modeling approach
2013
Nowadays, fuel cells are the most promising source of energy for stationary applications. Unfortunately, the power density of fuel cells is not adequate for modern applications. A fuel cell - based hybrid power supply is required. The fuel cell is coupled with a high-energy density power source to improve performances of the composite power source. A power management stage is introduced between the two basic sources to control the power flow path from the fuel cell to the auxiliary source and the load. In order to avoid effects of a limited power density of the fuel cell on the whole power supply, sophisticated power management algorithms are implemented. Accurate modeling is required to te…
Life cycle energy and environmental impacts of a solid oxide fuel cell micro-CHP system for residential application
2019
Abstract Fuel cells are considered one of the key technologies to reach the ambitious European goal of a low carbon economy, by reducing CO2 emissions and limiting the production of other pollutants. The manuscript presents an assessment of the life cycle energy and environmental performances of a solid oxide fuel cell system for household applications using primary data from the manufacturing phase and experimental data for the start-up and operation phases. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology is applied, based on a functional unit of 1 MJ of exergy and includes the life cycle steps from the raw materials extraction to the maintenance. The results show a particular relevance of the opera…
Analysis and optimization of fuel cell cogeneration systems for application in single-family houses
2010
The world’s demand of energy is projected to double by 2050 in accordance with population growth and with the industrialization of developing countries. The supply of fossil fuel could be limited and even worse is concentrated in a few regions of world, while demand is growing everywhere. One promising alternative to fossil fuel is hydrogen which is abundant and generously distributed through the world without regard for national boundaries. The aim of this paper is to explore this early market opportunity for fuel cell cogeneration systems in buildings and to determine the conditions under which they might compete with the alternative of purchased power. It is suitable to identify and to p…
Methanol fuel processor and PEM fuel cell modeling for mobile application
2010
International audience; The use of hydrocarbon fed fuel cell systems including a fuel processor can be an entry market for this emerging technology avoiding the problem of hydrogen infrastructure. This article presents a 1 kW low temperature PEM fuel cell system with fuel processor, the system is fueled by a mixture of methanol and water that is converted into hydrogen rich gas using a steam reformer. A complete system model including a fluidic fuel processor model containing evaporation, steam reformer, hydrogen filter, combustion, as well as a multi-domain fuel cell model is introduced. Experiments are performed with an IDATECH FCS1200™ fuel cell system. The results of modeling and experi…