REVIEW OF AN ENERGY AND EXERGY ANALYSIS OF A FUEL-CELL SYSTEM

A review of an energy and energy analysis of the KTI 25 kW fuel cell system is described. This system consists of a fuel cell and a fuel processor. An examination of the system's integration concept is done with the aim of pinpointing the existing losses. The energy calculations are performed with the Aspen, Plus programme using a Fortran extension. Energy and energy calculations are presented in a Sankey and Grassmann diagram, respectively. The system's major energy losses are involved with off-gases, while the system's major energy losses are associated with internal process irreversibilities. It is concluded that the energy calculations pinpoint the losses accurately and that the energy analysis gives a better insight of the system's process.