Dynamic Modeling of a PEM Fuel Cell Power Plant for Flexibility Optimization and Grid Support

Elena Crespi, Giulio Guandalini, German Nieto Cantero and Stefano Campanari
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Elena Crespi: Group of Energy Conversion Systems, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milano, Italy
Giulio Guandalini: Group of Energy Conversion Systems, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milano, Italy
German Nieto Cantero: Abengoa Innovación, 41014 Seville, Spain
Stefano Campanari: Group of Energy Conversion Systems, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milano, Italy

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-23

Abstract: The transition toward high shares of non-programmable renewable energy sources in the power grid requires an increase in the grid flexibility to guarantee grid reliability and stability. This work, developed within the EU project Grasshopper, identifies hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) power plants, based on low temperature PEM cells, as a source of flexibility for the power grid. A dynamic numerical model of the flexible FC system is developed and tested against experimental data from a 100-kW pilot plant, built within the Grasshopper project. The model is then applied to assess the flexible performance of a 1 MW system in order to optimize the scale-up of the pilot plant to the MW-size. Simulations of load-following operation show the flexibility of the plant, which can ramp up and down with a ramp rate depending only on an externally imposed limit. Warm-up simulations allow proposing solutions to limit the warm-up time. Of main importance are the minimization of the water inventory in the system and the construction of a compact system, which minimizes the distance between the components.

Keywords: MW-scale PEM FC; partial load; warm-up; Grasshopper project; scale-up; flexible FC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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