RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 A 4E analysis of different Fuel Cell mCHP configurations operating with different strategies in residential applications
A1 Gabana Molina, Pedro
A1 Reyes Serrano, Miriam
A1 Tinaut Fluixá, Francisco Vicente
A1 Novella, Ricardo
K1 Fuel cell
K1 Micro combined heat and power
K1 Heat pump
K1 Residential applications
K1 Dynamic simulation
K1 4E analysis
K1 33 Ciencias Tecnológicas
AB This study explores the viability, assessed in terms of primary energy, exergy, CO2 emissions, and economicbenefits (4 E), associated with the integration of small-scale cogeneration systems (mCHP) utilizing proton ex-change membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). The investigation is specifically oriented towards the residential sector.The model uses annual electrical and thermal demands as inputs. Parametric studies conducted through themodification of these values have been carried out. Dynamic demands are modelled using fixed consumptionprofiles to distribute the total annual demands.Five configurations of CHP systems based on fuel cell technology (FC-mCHP) are analysed in this work. In thefirst configuration FC-mCHP uses hydrogen produced by an on-site steam methane reformer. In the secondconfiguration FC-mCHP is fed with hydrogen coming from a centralized steam methane reformer. The thirdconfiguration is similar to the second configuration but with CO2 capture in the hydrogen generator. In thefourth configuration the FC-mCHP is supplied with hydrogen produced by an on-site electrolyser. In the fifthconfiguration the FC-mCHP utilizes hydrogen supplied from a centralized electrolyser. Each of these five con-figurations can be combined with a heat pump system, making a total of ten options.In the FC-mCHP model, the electrical and thermal outputs are linked with the load of the system. The FC-mCHP load is set according to three operational strategies within each configuration: fulfil electricity demand,fulfil thermal demand, and fulfil both demands simultaneously. The FC-mCHP maximum electrical power servesas the sizing parameter. Additionally, the potential addition of a heat pump-based system is explored to increasethermal energy production. A conventional scenario is taken as a reference, in which electrical energy is takenfrom the grid, and thermal energy is supplied by a natural gas boiler.The results show that there can be primary energy savings (between 20 and 60%) as well as CO2 emissionssavings, with values depending on each configuration (up to 50% for the worst ones and up to 400% for the bestones) and the average operating conditions throughout the year. However, in general, all configurations lead toeconomic losses, compared with the reference conventional configuration. The results also indicate that the mosteffective strategy involves the FC-mCHP trying to satisfy both thermal and electrical demands. When the resi-dential application is not connected to electric grid, the inclusion of a heat pump to the FC-mCHP yields relevantadvantages, since additional thermal power can be generated in the heat pump, by converting part of electricpower
PB Elsevier
SN 0360-3199
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/75997
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/75997
LA eng
NO International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2025
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 12-jul-2025