Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 5422: Sensitivity Factors of Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycle Systems Using Fuel Cell’s Waste Heat

Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 5422: Sensitivity Factors of Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycle Systems Using Fuel Cell’s Waste Heat

Energies doi: 10.3390/en18205422

Authors:
Ákos Bereczky
Emese Lévai

Recovering waste heat is widely seen as an effective way to improve energy efficiency. Because of its potential to lower both energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, it has been used for many years in industries with high energy demand. While several technologies are already available for this purpose, most of them require relatively high temperatures to achieve high performance. One approach that can make use of lower temperature heat sources is the thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC). Systems based on this principle can be a cost-effective option for capturing heat from sources such as fuel cells, although their efficiency depends on several factors. This study applies parameter sensitivity analysis to support more efficient system design. The results show that chemical properties, especially the thermal coefficients of redox pairs, have the strongest effect on performance. Geometric aspects, particularly the size of the active membrane area, also play an important role.