Validation of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Models to Field Data for a Residential Proton Exchange Fuel Cell (PEM) Demonstration

Abstract : As part of a one-year Department of Defense demonstration project, Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems have been installed at three residences to provide electrical power and waste heat for domestic hot water and space heating. The 5 kW-capacity fuel cells operate on reformed natural gas. These systems operate at preset levels providing power to the residence and to the utility grid. During grid outages, the residential power source is disconnected from the grid and the fuel cell system operates in standby mode to provide power to critical loads in the residence. One of the units was equipped with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA) that was used to collect electrical and thermal load profiles. This paper describes the ability to model electrical and thermal loads for improved control and load management for very small systems, using limited easily obtainable forecast data.