The calibration and validation of a model for simulating the thermal and electrical performance of a 1 kWAC proton-exchange membrane fuel-cell micro-cogeneration device

• Published in: Journal of power sources Vol. 221; pp. 435 - 446
• Main Authors: Johnson, Geoffrey, Beausoleil-Morrison, Ian, Strathearn, Bruce, Thorsteinson, Erik, Mackintosh, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building simulation; Combined heat and power; Direct energy conversion and energy accumulation; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electrical power engineering; Electrochemical conversion: primary and secondary batteries, fuel cells; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc; Exact sciences and technology; Fuel cells; Micro-cogeneration; Model calibration; Proton-exchange membrane fuel-cell; Residential buildings; Building simulation; Model calibration; Combined heat and power; Residential buildings; Proton-exchange membrane fuel-cell; Micro-cogeneration; Gas emission; Polymer electrolytes; Cogeneration; Thermal behavior; Polymer solid electrolyte; Instrumentation; Home equipment; Calibration; Experimental study; Greenhouse gas; Environment impact; Small scale structure; Electric power consumption; System simulation; Proton exchange membrane fuel cells; Comparative study; Fuel cell; Electrical characteristic
• ISSN: 0378-7753; 1873-2755
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2012.08.035

The cogeneration of heat and electricity using small-scale fuel-cell devices may lead to reduced energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and less reliance on the central electrical grid. Without accurate methods to simulate thermal and electrical production concurrently with the operation of coupled plant components and the demands of the host building and its occupants, these potential benefits can not be fully assessed nor can the deployment of fuel-cell micro-cogeneration be optimally configured. Enhancements are proposed to an existing fuel-cell micro-cogeneration model and then its calibration is demonstrated using empirical data gathered from experiments conducted with a 1.0 kWAC PEMFC micro-cogeneration device. The experimental configuration, types of instrumentation employed, and the operating scenarios examined are treated. The calibration coefficients necessary to accurately simulate the thermal and electrical performance of this device are presented and then the validity of the model's functional form and its calibration are assessed through the comparison of model predictions to measurements from a disjunct set of 10 tests. ► We adapted an existing micro-cogeneration model to represent a PEMFC. ► We conducted tests to characterize the performance of a PEMFC. ► We calibrated and validated the model of the PEMFC with experimental data.