Session: 09-10-02: Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Integrated Hydrogen Energy Systems II

Paper Number: 173605

A Pemfc-Chp System With Rule-Based Energy Management Strategies for Residential Buildings to Enhance Grid Resilience 

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)-based combined heat and power (CHP) systems offer efficient, clean, and flexible energy solutions for residential buildings. These systems have the potential to significantly reduce gas emissions while improving overall energy efficiency by utilizing both electricity generation and the recovery of reaction heat during operation. In the present study, three rule-based energy management strategies (EMS), including following the electric load (FEL), following the thermal load (FTL), and base load (BL) modes, were evaluated for a kilowatt-scale PEMFC-CHP system integrated with lithium-ion battery storage. A mathematical fuel cell model was developed, incorporating activation, ohmic, and concentration losses for a nine-cell PEMFC stack. A Thevenin model with two resistance-capacitance (RC) circuits was employed for the lithium-ion battery and validated against experimental charge and discharge data to ensure accuracy. For waste heat recovery, a counter-flow heat exchanger was used to recover reaction heat from the fuel cell stack. The heat exchange process was simulated using the effectiveness-number of transfer units (NTU) method, enabling precise calculation of heat transfer rates under various operational conditions. The overall performance of the PEMFC-CHP system was evaluated using real-world electricity and thermal consumption data from a typical residential building. Seasonal variations and hourly fluctuations in electrical and thermal demands were taken into account, and the performance trade-offs between winter and summer were analyzed. The modeling results indicate that the FEL strategy effectively meets electrical demands but may require supplemental heating in winter, while the FTL strategy ensures thermal comfort but risks generating excess electricity in summer, leading to increased electricity waste. Base load control (or constant power operation) offers a balanced but suboptimal solution for both electrical and thermal demands. These findings provide valuable insights for engineers in designing, optimizing, and controlling clean and highly efficient PEMFC-CHP systems to meet specific electric and thermal loads of residential buildings. In addition, the present study also investigates the interaction between the PEMFC-CHP system and the electric grid. The effective energy management strategies demonstrated can mitigate power fluctuations and reduce reliance on grid support during periods of peak demand. This contributes positively to grid resilience by lowering the risk of overload and disruption, which is a significant challenge for the electric grids integrated with intermittent renewable energy sources. These findings highlight the crucial role of rule-based energy management strategies in enhancing system efficiency, maintaining a stable energy supply, and supporting grid stability under dynamic residential use patterns.

Presenting Author: Hao-Wei Huang Mississippi State University

Presenting Author Biography: Hao-Wei Huang is a Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from Tatung University in Taiwan. His research focuses on modeling the recompression supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) power cycle using MATLAB. He is also involved in thermochemical energy storage (TCES), fuel cells, waste heat recovery (WHR), and combined heat and power (CHP) systems, with an emphasis on techno-economic analysis and advanced energy management strategies.

Authors:

Hao-Wei Huang Mississippi State University
Kashif Mushtaq Mississippi State University
Zhiming Gao Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Jian Zhao Mississippi State University