Combined cold, heat and power (CCHP) systems and fuel cells for CCHP applications: a topological review

Abstract

As the basis for the study, this manuscript was written at a time when the energy crisis is affecting most parts of the world and most especially the prevailing and rampant electricity crisis in most developing countries. As a result, 50 combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems studies were reviewed, which included the internal combustion engine (ICE), Stirling engine, biomass, micro turbine, solar and biogas, photovoltaic (PV) and gas turbine, wind turbine, PV and micro-turbine, solid-oxide and phosphoric-acid fuel cells (FCs), ICE and thermoelectric generator, low-temperature (LT) polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), inlet air throttling gas turbine, ground source heat pump (GSHP) micro gas turbine and PV, ICE and GSHP, ICE with dehumidification and refrigeration, 5-kW PEM FC, thermoelectric cooler and LT-PEM FC, Stirling engine and molten carbonate FC, thermo-acoustic organic Rankine cycle, solar-thermal, geothermal, integrated energy systems, power- and heat-storage systems, energy-conversion systems, thermodynamic and thermo-economic optimization strategies, working fluids based on hydrogen, helium as well as ammonia, H2O, CO2 etc. Of these reviewed CCHP systems, FC-based CCHP systems were of the greatest interest, particularly the PEM FC. Consequently, FCs were further investigated, whereby the seven popular types of FCs identified and classified were summarily compared with each other, from which the PEM FC was preferred due to its practical popularity. However, PEM FCs, like all FCs, are susceptible to the fuel-starvation phenomenon; therefore, six FC-assisted schemes were examined, from which the FC assisted with the supercapacitor and battery technique was the most widely applied. In sum, the significance of the study entails assorted CCHP systems, FCs, their highlights, their applications and their pros and cons in a single reference document that anyone can easily use to holistically understand the characteristics of the CCHP systems. The study concludes with our perspective, by which we formulate and propose an alternative innovative unique CCHP system model under research, which is based exclusively on green technologies: FCs, lithium-ion battery, ultracapacitor, thermoelectricity and an energy-management system using MATLAB®.