Application of Photo-Electrochemically Generated Hydrogen with Fuel Cell Based Micro-Combined Heat and Power: A Dynamic System Modelling Study

Molecules

EricS. Fraga¹  Jawwad Darr²  PaulR. Shearing³  Krisztian Ronaszegi³  DanJ. L. Brett³ 

[1] Centre for Process Systems Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE2, UK;Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK;Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE1, UK;

关键词: solar-to-hydrogen efficiency;    photo-electrochemical cell;    polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell;    micro-chp;    gas boiler;    co₂ reduction;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules25010123

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Photo-electrochemical (PEC) hydrogen generation is a promising technology and alternative to photovoltaic (PV)-electrolyser combined systems. Since there are no commercially available PEC cells and very limited field trials, a computer simulation was used to assess the efficacy of the approach for different domestic applications. Three mathematical models were used to obtain a view on how PEC generated hydrogen is able to cover demands for a representative dwelling. The analysed home was grid-connected and used a fuel cell based micro-CHP (micro-combined heat and power) system. Case studies were carried out that considered four different photo-electrode technologies to capture a range of current and possible future device efficiencies. The aim for this paper was to evaluate the system performance such as efficiency, fuel consumption and CO₂ reduction capability. At the device unit level, the focus was on photo-electrode technological aspects, such as the effect of band-gap energy represented by different photo-materials on productivity of hydrogen and its uncertainty caused by the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE), which is highly electrode preparation specific. The presented dynamic model allows analysis of the performance of a renewable energy source integrated household with variable loads, which will aid system design and decision-making.

【 授权许可】

Unknown