Dynamic modeling of an eco-neighborhood integrated micro-CHP based on PEMFC: Performance and economic analyses

In this work, the performance of an eco-neighborhood in North-West of France integrated micro-combined heat and power system (micro-CHP) based on proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is investigated. The mathematical modeling of the overall micro-CHP unit coupled with the multifamily houses is developed and validated using the experimental data. Influence of various inlet parameters such as PEMFC inlet pressure, relative humidity and current density on micro-CHP performances is analyzed. The operating conditions giving the optimal system performance are identified. The feasibility of the proposed micro-CHP unit is investigated by using a dynamic simulation in comparison to a conventional supply based on separate energy productions. Analyses are performed by evaluating two operational strategies (heat-led and electricity-led) for two designs: the first design considers one house family integrating a micro-CHP system using a PEMFC stack of 1 kWe, the second design is composed of a micro-CHP system based on PEMFC stack of 5 kWe coupled with each group of three houses. The performance of proposed system was examined and compared with those of the conventional system using a natural gas-fired boiler and a power plant mix connected to the central grid from energy, environmental point of view in the French context.