A Double Pipe Heat Exchanger Design and Optimization for Cooling an Alkaline Fuel Cell System

In the presented research, heat transfer of a mobile electrolyte alkaline fuel cell (AFC) (which the electrolyte has cooling role of system) has been considered. Proper control volumes of system with specific qualification have been chosen. Consequently, heat and mass transfer in control volumes have been assessed. Considerations on them and contributed models lead to approve a double tube heat exchanger as energy sink. Design of this heat exchanger is dependent on heat transfer conditions and related equations. A composite system of alkaline fuel cell and peripheral equipment has been used. Then the equations of all steps have been integrated. Furthermore, the optimization codes have been developed to propose best operation point of system, minimizing total cost and determining the heat exchanger dimensions, flow rates and temperatures and in this manner the software ‘GAMS’ was employed. In the results, optimum electrolyte inlet and outlet temperature obtained 73˚C and 40˚C respectively; and the heat exchanger total area with minimizing the cost model is rendered to 0.07 m2. Finally, parametric analysis for variation of temperature, length and diameter of heat exchanger, pressure drop, total cost and performance of planned combined system has been studied. It can be concluded that cooling of system is very important because the efficiency of system reduces with temperatures rising. A promising fact of increasing overall efficiency of system regards to reducing electrolyte temperature demonstrate reducing electrolyte temperature in the range of 70 to 40 oC, concluded 2% overall system efficiency increasing.

[1]  S. Baheri,et al.  The effect of inclined radial flow in proton exchange membrane fuel cells performance , 2014 .

[2]  Takashi Yamashita,et al.  Highly efficient heat recovery system for phosphoric acid fuel cells used for cooling telecommunication equipment , 2000 .

[3]  Emilio Sanchez-Cortezon,et al.  The evolution of the performance of alkaline fuel cells with circulating electrolyte , 2004 .

[4]  Hossein Ghadamian,et al.  Thermo-economic analysis of absorption air cooling system for pressurized solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine cycle , 2012 .

[5]  Ned Djilali,et al.  An assessment of alkaline fuel cell technology , 2002 .

[6]  R. Roshandel,et al.  Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC) Engineering Design; Modeling and Simulation for UPS Provide in Laboratory Application , 2011 .

[7]  Hossein Ghadamian,et al.  OPTIMAL DESIGN FOR COMPACT HEAT EXCHANGER (CHE) BY HEAT TRANSFER VIEWPOINT AS AN AIR PRE-HEATER , 2015 .

[8]  Karl V. Kordesch,et al.  Fuel cells and their applications , 1996 .

[9]  S. Kær,et al.  Optimization of a thermoelectric generator subsystem for high temperature PEM fuel cell exhaust heat recovery , 2014 .

[10]  F. Alcaide,et al.  A small-scale flow alkaline fuel cell for on-site production of hydrogen peroxide , 2002 .

[11]  Hossein Ghadamian,et al.  An algorithm for optimum design and macro-model development in PEMFC with exergy and cost considerations , 2006 .

[12]  C. Siegel.  Review of computational heat and mass transfer modeling in polymer-electrolyte-membrane (PEM) fuel cells , 2008 .

[13]  N. Pourmahmoud,et al.  The simulation of novel annular shape on the Performance in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell , 2014 .

[14]  Hossein Ghadamian,et al.  Modeling SOFC & GT Integrated-Cycle Power System with Energy Consumption Minimizing Target to Improve Comprehensive Cycle Performance , 2012 .

[15]  Michel De Paepe,et al.  Thermodynamic model for an alkaline fuel cell , 2009 .

[16]  A. Su,et al.  Implementation of a heat recovery unit in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell system , 2010 .

[17]  Alberto Traverso,et al.  Heat recovery options for onboard fuel cell systems , 2011 .

[18]  Karl Kordesch,et al.  Development of low cost alkaline fuel cells , 1986 .

[19]  S. Kær,et al.  Numerical model of a thermoelectric generator with compact plate-fin heat exchanger for high temperature PEM fuel cell exhaust heat recovery , 2012 .

[20]  Mark W. Davis,et al.  Proposed Testing Methodology and Laboratory Facilities for Evaluating Residential Fuel Cell Systems , 2002 .