Experimental analysis of the cogenerative performance of a PEM fuel cell based energy system

Low temperature fuel cells are potentially suitable for cogenerative applications for residential and tertiary utilities. Depending on the load request, the produced electricity can be used, stored in electric accumulator or in the external net, or integrated with other external sources. Contextually, the available heat can be used, accumulated inside the fuel cell or dissipated. A test facility has been developed, at the University of Bologna, for the experimental characterization of the cogenerative performance of a hybrid power system, composed of a commercial grid-connected Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, a battery and a heat recovery subsystem. The test set-up is also integrated with an external load simulator, in order to generate variable load profiles. This paper presents the performed experimental results obtained in different test campaigns, in order to analyze the system energy fluxes. In particular the net electric power production and the auxiliaries power absorption have been measured and the related efficiency indexes have been evaluated; moreover, the combined heat and electric power production has been investigated and the cogenerative performance at different operating conditions have been acquired.