13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)

December 11-14, 2022

Pakistan

FEASIBILITY OF A RENEWABLE MULTI-POWER ENERGY SYSTEM INVOLVING

THE USE OF FUEL CELL IN MULTI-PURPOSE FARM-HOUSE ENVIRONMENT VIA
SIMULATION IN MATLAB/SIMULINK.

Talhah Atiq,Talha Afzaal, Ahmed Khan, Raja AbuHurraira, Khurram Kamal

National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Authors’ Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Non-renewable sources have conventionally been used for energy which produce a large waste material
which harm the environment. As such, there are major incentives to develop renewable sources. This
paper aims to produce a multi-power generation system with an emphasis on renewable energy sources.
PEMFC Fuel Cells & supporting sub-systems such as solar cell as electrolyzer & bio-gas reactor for
recycling have been implemented. A closed loop turbine shall reuse waste heat. We expect 450 Watt
power generation from turbine with an efficiency of 30%. This power shall be employed the processing of
sugar cane in industry & its refining and reuse of its material. For our specific case, we have simulated a
farm-house environment. Our system shall play a role in all potential uses; energy for harvesting
machinery & household power, house heating, bio-gas sludge for fertilizer. We shall observe further
recyclability via animal and plant waste to produce a symbiotic output for the system. Modelling &
simulation of the sub-system is made via Simulink/MATLAB. This allows us to research various scenarios
by manipulating O2 Input, Temperature etc. and corresponding outputs to optimize our system and
produce renewable system with feasible power output with great future energy prospects.

Keywords: Fuel Cells, Renewable Energy, Bio-Gas Reactor, Electrolyzers, Simulation Analysis.

1. INTRODUCTION
Since the advent of technology, non-renewable sources including hydrocarbons such as petroleum, coal
which produce a high amount of waste materials of Nitrogen, Sulphur which harm the environment and
our health. These by- product can harm our environment through acid rain or global warming. Old method
of producing energy require chemical reaction which lead to wastage, less efficient and increase the
factor of pollution. To avoid this problem, we try to manufacture a fuel cell which have relatively more
efficient and potential fuel source.

A fuel cell is an electro-chemical device which is used to generate electricity. So, we can use it for any
purpose. The type we are using is PEMFC. It generates electricity via chemical reaction minimizing waste
and pollution as well as being a renewable energy source employing Hydrogen and Oxygen which can be
derived from a multitude of sources. Besides being a high efficiency source, it also produces few by-
products, mostly water which can be re-used. Now we shall demonstrate this by using the Proton
Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) along with other sustainable source such as solar cell and
biogas reactor.These shall be used to fill all the operational needs of a farmhouse environment which
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December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan
produces sugarcane along with general crops and herding cattle. Situated in flat fields with good sun
exposure, a series of solar cells shall convert solar energy to electricity which shall be employed in for the
electrolysis of water from nearby water sources to produce Hydrogen and Oxygen. These sources will be
utilized by fuel cell to generate electricity and by product which is further used for our desired
requirement. PEMFC operates around moderate temperatures of 90-110 C which when generated from
stackers, shall produce a reusable amount of heat. After that this heat is reused for the boiling of water in
turbine for producing more electricity. For farming we made cattle heard from where we collect waste.
This waste is used in biogas reactor which convert it into biogas. Biogas is further upgraded by
membrane filters to methane and carbon dioxide. Methane gas shall be utilized as commercial gas for
cooking and heating. The output we get from biogas reactor which carbon dioxide (CO2) is given to plant
and herbs in greenhouse effect. Natural energy source which is sun and carbon dioxide (CO2) has rich
and ideal environment for plant growth. We use this process to capitalize our farming from crop field and
sugar cane field by harvesting the crop and sugar cane field. The harvest sugar cane sent to the industry
for further use to make sugar and other healthy items.

Fig .1. Proposed multi-power energy system in farmhouse environment.

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December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan
2. METHODOLOGY AND SCHEMATIC DESCRIPTION
'We must observe various inputs and factors that affect our overall voltage supply. We shall investigate
turbine, solar cell and fuel cell in particular. We shall perform numerical analysis with appropriate
calculations and simulation analysis wherever convenient and required.

LINKAGE OF COMPONENTS IN A SYSYTEM

Fig .1. shows a proposed multi-power energy system in farmhouse environment, in which series of solar
cells use solar energy to generate electricity, which is then used by PEM[1] electrolyzer to convert water
into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen and oxygen gas is used as a inputs to stacks of PEMFC[2], which is
then produced electricity as a product for home and water pump use. PEMFC produced water and heat
as a by-product, which are then used by boiler to generate steam for steam turbine. Steam turbine uses
Rankine cycle or steam cycle to generate work which is then used by generator to produce electricity.
Rankine cycle uses four devices in loop. 1- Water pump (used to pump water from condenser to boiler).
2- Boiler (used to convert saturated water to superheated steam). 3- Steam turbine (uses superheated
steam to produce work and deliver liquid vapour mixture to condenser). 4- Condenser (cools liquid vapour
mixture to saturated water). On the other hand, farm waste from cattle farm is used as a input to bio-gas
reactor, which converts it into digestate and Biogas. Digestate is used as a fertilizer to sugarcane field
and biogas is further upgraded to methane and carbon dioxide by membrane filters. Methane is used for
cooking and heating purposes in home and also used as a fuel to boiler. Electricity generate by generator
of steam turbine is used by sugarcane industry to produce sugar as a product which is stored in sugar
tanks. Sugarcane is provided by sugarcane field to sugarcane industry. Sugarcane industry produces
three main byproducts. 1- Bagasse which is used as a fuel to heat boiler. 2- Feed mud wich is used as a
fertilizer to sugarcane field. 3- Molasses which is used as a cattle feed in cattle farm.

System shown in Fig.1 have multiple components, which will describe one by one in this section.

2.1 SOLAR CELLS

Solar cell is the photovoltaic or electronic device which is to convert light energy which is coming from sun
into electrical energy. Solar cell basically works on the photovoltaic phenomenon.[3]

When a solar panel interact with sunlight , the light energies is absorbed by a semiconductor material
which is P types and N types. Due to this absorption of electron the electron is release and produce a DC
current. After that this DC current is converted into 220-volt AC using a power inverter for different
purpose of usage.[4]

There are three basic types of solar cell based on crystal used.[5]

Monocrystalline silicon cell

This cell is also known as silicon cells. This type of solar cell is produced from the pure silicon as the
name suggest , the entire volume of the cell is a single crystal of silicon. This is one of the widely uses cell
now a days. This cell is defect free and also pure so the efficiency will be higher.

Polycrystalline silicon cell

This Cell is also known as multi crystalline silicon. We used liquid silicon as a raw material and
polycrystalline silicon was obtained by solidification process. This cell has a high purity. The efficiency of
this cell is less than monocrystalline cell due to this cell contain various crystalline sizes.
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Pakistan
Amorphous silicon cell

Amorphous silicon solar cells are the most advanced thin-film solar cells. Its structure is usually of the p-i-
n (or n-i-p) duality type, where p-layers and n-layers are mainly used to build an internal electric field (i-
layer) made of amorphous silicon. Due to the high absorptivity of amorphous silicon, the thickness of the
i-layer is usually 0.2-0.5 μm. The efficiency of this cell is less than the above two.

MATERIAL EFFICIENCY (%)

Monocrystalline silicon cell 12-16 %

Polycrystalline silicon cell 13-15 %

Amorphous silicon cell 5-7 %

Table. 1. Comparison on types of solar cells

From the above information we can conclude that the monocrystalline silicon cell has a better efficiency
and now a days has widely usage. It is also defect free and has a pure silicon. So we use this type of cell
in our system.

2.2 SOLAR ENERGY

The primary advantage of solar energy over other conventional power sources is that it can be produced
using the tiniest photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, which allow sunlight to be directly transformed into solar
energy. Through the development of solar cells, panels, and modules with high conversion forms, there
has been a significant amount of study done to combine the Sun's energy process. In comparison to the
cost of various fossil fuels and oils during the past ten years, the most advantageous aspect of solar
energy is that it is readily available and free to the general public. Moreover, compared to traditional
energy production technology, solar energy requires a lot less human costs.[6]

CALCULATION OF ENERGY FROM SOLAR PANEL

A practical system for calculating the electrical energy generated by a PV panel( kWhr) through MATLAB
simulations grounded on the fine model of the cell, which obtains the “ Mean Maximum Power Point
”( MMPP) in the characteristic V- P wind, in response to assessing literal climate data at specific position.
This five- step system calculates through MMPP per day, per month, or per time, the power yield by unit
area, also electrical energy generated by PV panel, and its real conversion effectiveness. To validate the
system, it was applied to Sewage Treatment Plant for a Group of Drinking Water and Sewerage of
Yucatan( JAPAY), México, testing 250 Wp photovoltaic panels of five different manufacturers. As a result,
the performance, the real conversion effectiveness, and the electricity generated by five different PV
panels in evaluation were attained and show the stylish specialized- profitable option to develop the PV
generation design.[7]

Independent of the weather, a solar system's ability to convert solar radiation depends on its inclination
angle to the horizontal plane. To get the most electricity out of solar panels, the sun's rays should fall at a
 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
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sharp angle. As a result, solar panels' recommended fixed tilt angles should be adjusted monthly and
seasonally.[8]

Farms require a lot of energy to run their daily operations. Many energy-intensive tasks can be completed
easily and cleanly with electric power. Solar electric systems have the potential to stabilise and lower the
farm's annual energy costs by producing renewable energy on the property. Understanding the size and
breadth of a solar electric system that would be necessary to achieve your goals is crucial before
investing in a system. A solar electric system that is appropriately sized and affordable will match the
farm's electrical requirements. To assess the magnitude of solar electric generation that can be produced
to cover some of your energy needs when considering an on-farm solar electric system, the first step is to
precisely measure your electric demand.[9]

Fig. 2.Solar energy converting to electrical energy with solar panel[10]

In active solar technology, electrical energy is produced by the phenomenon of the photoelectric effect.
The reliability and efficiency of a photovoltaic system can be improved with proper use of this system.
First, the main factor in photovoltaic power generation is the efficiency of solar cells, which are mainly
composed of crystalline silicon cells. Although the efficiency of solar cells is still not good, the power
generation capacity of solar cells is excellent. Second, there are many factors that affect the efficiency of
installing and maintaining a photovoltaic system. This white paper highlights PV module efficiency as
affected by orientation, angle, irradiance, shade, load, and temperature. The working mechanism of this
system is based on the input voltage from the battery to the embedded system, which is further
processed by the ADC and converted to digital form and used to observe the battery state. Thorough
consideration of these factors before using this system and implementation of these results after
consideration are essential to improving the efficiency of this system.[11]
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Pakistan
2.3 ELECTROLYZER

PEM electrolyzer is a cell in which electrolysis of water takes place by use of proton exchange membrane
which uses solid polymer electrolyte to pass proton through it.

Fig. 2. Electrolysis of water [1]

PEM electrolyzer gives greater hydrogen production, high purity of gases (99.99%) and also gives higher
efficiency about 80-90 %, that’s why we use this type of electrolyzer as compared to another types of
electrolyzers.

2.4 PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL (PEMFC)

GENERAL VIEW OF PEMFC

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell, also called polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, uses proton
conducting polymer membrane as electrolyte. This polymer membrane is in the form of thin, permeable
sheet which allows proton to transfer from one face to another face of electrolyte. This cell uses hydrogen
and oxygen as their inputs and gives electricity as a product and water and heat as a by-product. This cell
uses porous carbon electrodes containing a platinum alloy catalyst (noble metal catalyst) to sperate
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Pakistan

hydrogen’s electrons and protons. Due to platinum or platinum alloy catalyst cost of this type of cell is
increased. Typically pure hydrogen is required as a input for this cell.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell require low temperature as their operating condition. Because of this
condition this cell cannot use hydrocarbon fuel directly, such as natural gas etc. So, hydrocarbon fuel
must be converted to pure hydrogen which can be used by PEMFC cell. Low temperature condition
allows cell to warm up and start quickly, results in less wear to system components and gives better
durability to cell. PEM fuel cell generally operates at about 90-degree Celsius temperature and gives
efficiency of 40 to 50 percent.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell is used for transportation and stationary applications (like homes).

Anode reaction: H2 → 2H+ + 2e-

Cathode reaction: ½O2 + 2H+ + 2e- → H2O

Overall reaction: H2 + ½O2 → H2O

Above reactions shows that two hydrogen atoms losses two electrons to form two protons. Two electrons
gain by one oxygen atom and also with the addition of two hydrogen atoms in cathode reaction to form
water molecule.

SPECIFIC VIEW (RELATED TO OUR SYSTEM)

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell is one of the basic part of our renewable multi-power energy system
in multi-purpose farm house environment. We use multiple stacks of solar cells to produce large amount
of electricity for house purpose and to run pump. This cell uses hydrogen and oxygen, as their fuels from
PEM electrolyzer, which electrolyze water from their nearby source of water to form hydrogen and
oxygen. Electrolyzer uses electricity from series of solar cells. Specifications of PEM fuel cell in our
system are as follows.

Operating temperature : 5-25 degree Celsius.

Output voltage : 16-40 Volts.

Maximum output current : 60 Ampere.

Efficiency of fuel cell : Around 50 percent[song].

Output power : 1200 Watt.

Hydrogen Consumption : 1.82-11.6 L/min.

Tino Vidovic et al. [12] has shown measurement of NEXA 1200 fuel cell stack in their experimental setup.
He calibrated original model with measurement of NEXA 1200 fuel cell stack and shown above
specifications.

2.5 RANKINE CYCLE

We use Rankine cycle also called steam cycle to produce electricity for the running of sugarcane industry.
Rankine cycle consist of four devices and four processes. Electricity from the PEMFC Fuel cell has been
utilized for the pump and biogas coming from the biogas reactor is used as a fuel for a boiler. Work output
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from condenser is given to the biogas reactor. Work output from the steam turbine is given to the
generator

which generates further electricity to run a sugarcane industry. A lot of the impracticalities linked to the
Carnot cycle can be overcome with superheating the steam inside boiler and then in the condenser,
condensing it fully. That’s the reason Rankine cycle has been used because it is best for vapor power
plants and does not have any internal irreversibilities and involves the following processes.

Isentropic compression in a pump in which working substance is compressed with same entropy.

Isobaric heat addition in a boiler which will increase the volume and temperature also rises. Work has
been done by the system.

Isentropic expansion in a turbine in which fuel is burned. As long as both ends of the chamber are
opened to flow in and out, this process is constant pressure. The work output will be our desired output

Isobaric heat rejection in a condenser in which working substance is de superheated and condensed to a
liquid. Most of the energy from the working substance will reject to the cooling water in a condenser.

Fig.3. The simple ideal Rankine cycle[13]

Energy Analysis of the Ideal Rankine Cycle

The four parts involved in the Rankine cycle (pump, boiler, turbine, condenser) are constant flow devices.
Therefore, all four processes that together form a Rankine cycle can be analyzed as steady-flow
processes.

Mass flow rate of ideal Rankine cycle : 15 kg/s

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Thermal efficiency of ideal Rankine cycle : 36%

Power of steam turbine : 450 Watt

Efficiency of steam turbine : 30%

2.6 BIO-GAS REACTOR

A biogas reactor is an airtight chamber that facilitate the anaerobic breakdown of blackwater, sludge,
and/or biodegradable waste. It also facilitate the collection of biogases produced by the fermentation
processes inside the reactor. Gases form within the slurry and collect at the top of the chamber, mixing
the slurry as it rises. The digestate is rich in organic matter and nutrients, is almost odorless, and has
partially inactivated pathogens.[14]

We use biogas reactor for collecting the wastage of our cattle farm and convert the waste into a useful
product (biogas). Biogas is further upgraded to membrane filter. Membrane filters convert this biogas into
methane which we used for domestic and industrial use and in carbon dioxide (co2) which we
implemented to greenhouse for better and fast growth of plant.

2.7 MEMBRANE FILTERS

Membrane filters are widely used in wastewater treatment. Membrane commonly is a thin film of material
with selective permeability. Membrane filters involves passing a single feed stream that separates it into
two individual streams. One is called the permeate and the other is retentate.[15] Membranes means a
barrier that separates both from each other. A barrier that goes pass only certain feed. We use membrane
filter after the biogas reactor . Membrane stop the methane and let the carbon dioxide (CO2) pass trough
for the use in green field for the better growth of plant.[16]

There are basically four types of membrane filtration.[17]

REVERSE OSMOSIS

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a type of membrane process used in liquid and liquid separation. Water is used
as a principle and it only passing material through the membrane and remaining impurities is rejected.

NANOFILTRATION

Nanofiltration (NF) rejects only ions with more than one negative charge, such as sulfate (SO4) or
phosphate(PO4), while passing single charged ions. NF also rejects uncharged, dissolved materials and
positively charged ions, according to the size and shape of the molecule in question.

ULTRAFILTRATION

In UF (ultrafiltration) all the HMWC such as protein and other suspendedsolids are nicely rejected , while
the LMWC pass through the membrane very easily and freely.

HMWC=High molecular weight component, such as Protein

LMWC=Low molecular weight component, such as NaCl

MICROFILTRATION

In this process only suspended solids particles are rejected while even protein pass the membrane freely.
Separation pores size is approximately 0.03 to 10 microns.
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Pakistan
2.8 CATTLE FARM AND SUGARCANE FIELD

We use cattle farm to produce biogas from animals waste. We further filter biogas by membrane filter to
convert it into pure methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is used as a fuel in boiler. Carbon dioxide is
used for providing greenhouse effect to sugarcane field. Molasses which is a by product of sugarcane
industry is used as a cattle feed in cattle farm.

Sugarcane field is used for providing sugarcane as a raw material for sugarcane industry. Feed mud
which is a by product of sugarcane industry is used as a fertilizer for sugarcane field.

As for the waste from the farm cattle, 1 cow produces 10 kg of dung per day, and 1 kg of cow dung
produces 0.036 m3 of biogas. Assuming 50 cows in our environment, that would produce 500 kg of cow
dung. This was utilized in the biogas reactor. [18]

2.9 SUGARCANE INDUSTRY

Electricity consumption of sugarcane industry is fulfilled by electric generator which is running by steam
turbine of 30% efficiency and power of 450 Watt. Sugar which is our main product is produced and store
in a storage tank. With the production of sugar also three byproducts will be produced. Bagasse is used
as a fuel to boiler rankine cycle. Feedmud is used as a fertilizer to sugarcane field and molasses is used
as a cattle feed in a cattle farm.

3. SIMULATION ANALYSIS
It is highly cumbersome, time consuming, resource consuming & difficult to build a physical fuel cell
model along with the various sub-systems, such as solar cells, in a proper, controlled environment to test
out various different parameters such as temperature to study these parameters’ corresponding influence
on the performance of the model. A practical approach involving the building a physical model &
maintaining a controlled testing environment is inconvenient. As such, we have employed the use of
simulation technology to produce a environment that shall present the inner working of the Fuel Cell to
study the performance system and attain new insights on their operation. Simulation analysis also
provides the benefit of allowing ease of input manipulation to study processes under varying influences.
This would otherwise require difficult alterations of components in a physical, experimental set up. As
such, all simulations were performed using the Simulink add-on of Matlab software provided by
MathWorks. We used the 2018b version of Matlab for our simulation work. Note that the primary focus of
our analysis is the study of the parameters which affect our losses & voltage output, how they affect them
and as a result, maximize our output. To observe variable effects, we designated inputs as ramp blocks
which is to say that the input value shall continue to increase as the process continues on.

The typical fuel cell reaction is given as:

H2  2H+ + 2e-

½ O2 + 2H+ + 2e-  H2O

H2 + ½ O2  H2O

Taking the cell membrane and electrode area to be 35 cm2, & using output values at T=10 to maintain
equal parameter levels, the initial evaluation of voltage output, we’ve used the Nernst Equation. Peng et
al. [19] theorized that the voltage output of typical fuel cell is around 0.6-0.9 V and power density of of
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below 2 W/cm2. Alzahrani [20] performed Experimental analysis to show that current generated by a
small single cell was 0.012 Amps and power was 0.02 Watts. Nernst equation helps us determine the
voltage generated from an electrochemical reaction.

Vnernst = Vo – RT/nF (ln(Q))

The general formula is given as: In our reaction, we can see the hydrogen producing 2 electrons hence z
shall be 2. The remaining inputs are constants which can be left aside as well as, fuel cell operating
temperature & Oxygen and Hydrogen partial pressures. We may add them together as reaction quotients.
We can input the direct values of the Faraday constant F 96485, Universal Gas Constant R 8.314 into our
simulation model Thus, the voltage is a function of the temperature and the reaction quotients.

If we take a look at the graph for the Nernst Equation, which shall help us to judge the voltage output of
the fuel cell, we can observe the effect of 2 primary input blocks. Once again inputting the temperature
and variables as ramp inputs, we observe that initially the fuel cell provides roughly 1.2 Volts of electricity.
This is consistent with expected theoretical outputs of fuel cells under ideal conditions with no losses. This
was predictable as it can from the equation, it is apparent that if we negate the - terms of all the constants
Faraday Constant F, Universal Gas Constant R and the variable temperatures T & fuel quotients, in our
case Hydrogen H2 and Oxygen O2, we shall see that the ideal Voltage is all that remains hence the
expected 1.2 V output. Now, as the ramp value continues increasing, a marked decrease can be
observed in the output value of the voltage. This is to be expected as the ramp would mean the operating
temperature of the fuel cell is increasing.

A conclusion can be made that higher and rising operating temperatures of the fuel cell are both
unhealthy and unproductive for our fuel cell’s output. As a result, it’s pertinent to maintain an ideal
operating temperature for the fuel cell. It is known that PEMFCs operate around a temperature range of
90-110 C. By providing better cooling and better transfer systems, an improved temperature can be
achieved and this can result in better outputs and performance from our fuel cell.
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Pakistan

An interesting observation is obtained when we input the Fuel Cell operating temperature of 140 C and
isolate the reaction quotients, both the Hydrogen H2 and Oxygen O2, for the anode and cathode
respectively. A sharp decline is observed just as the process begins. This continues on to a much smaller
overall decline in the output. A sufficient conclusion is that a lower overall supply of fuel naturally leads to
fewer initial electrons and voltage generation. This is a natural consequence of keeping lower fuel levels.
Later on a much smaller drop is observed, of course due to the higher fuel quantities provided. If we
manipulate the inputs via changing the slope and initial values of the reaction quotients blocks, we can
see not just a much smaller drop, but also a less steep curve. These findings verify that we should
maintain a moderate to high level of fuel supply. Keeping it too low shall result in steep voltage supplies
due to lack of fuel input and excessively high amounts can result in lowered efficiencies and wasted raw
materials.
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This becomes much more apparent when we keep the reaction quotients at a constant rate and isolate
the temperature parameter. As shown in figure, a linear downwards slope occurs. This further proves how
operating temperatures must be regulated for optimum fuel cell performance. As for cooling criteria, it is
recommended to employ fins for improved heat transfer. A groove and dimple array pin fin cluster
presents turbulence for air flow, enhancing cooling. Furthermore, providing convective heat transfer via
parallel/counter flow is also recommended. The waste water generated from the fuel cell provides an
excellent design opportunity. We can incorporate the by-product water in counter flow air shell & tube
cooling to optimize temperatures. From the graph, we can expect Nernst Voltage to stay around 1.1-1.2 V
region. According to Alzahrani [20] fuel cells show 25% efficiency in series connections vs 50% efficiency
in parallel connections.
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Losses: Turning our eyes towards the various parameters that reduce our voltage output, we note that
electrons shall ofcourse deposit upon the anodes & cathodes and are carried over through the wire
connections to our desired appliances. Some energy is always wasted away due to this transmission. The
chief cause being the resistance themselves. Early developments show how a lengthier path generates
higher resistance and a narrower wire also causes the same. The basis of this is the Ohm’s Law

V = IR

In the case of a fuel cell, the electrons travel through the anode & cathode connections upwards through
the terminal connections and straight through the supply wires to the appliance. This results in a more
complex and less clear cut resistance analysis. Logan et al. [21] provides a convenient means to
determine this resistance, we can refer back to the polarization curve, we can determine the resistance by
simple interpolation & observing the slope of the curve. In our case, this yields a resistance of 0.1
Ohms/cm2 ie a resistance of 3.5 Ohms. Directing our view towards the graph, as expected, a downwards
curve is obtained. The higher the resistance, the higher the Voltage drop. We would expect a linear drop
in voltage throughout every resistance & current level. However, the curve signifies a lower initial drop vs
later on which is due to the product of Current and Resistance. This concludes an important discovery
that at lower initial current levels, a lower voltage drop is observed. Similarly, the primary cause of the
drop is resistance. Henceforth, we recommend optimizing the area of electrodes and membranes. The
curve shows the voltage drop to be -0.1 V.
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Pakistan
 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan

Zhang et al [22] presented the following equation for judging the Power density of fuel cell where it is the
ratio of power and Volume of anode:

Pd = P/V

The mass transfer loss of the fuel cell is the reduction in the voltage of the cell as the transfer of reactants
does not fulfill the required voltage & current outputs. As a result, it mostly relies upon the current density
and transfer co-efficient. It is dictated by the formula below, Lyu et al, [23] presented a re-arranged form
of this formula, further including equations for current densities:

Vconcentration = RT/nF (1 + 1/α) ln (IL/IL-I)

Here, we instantly notice a majority of the terms can be reduced to simple constants; the Faraday
Constant F, 96485, the Universal Gas Constant 8.314, the number of electrons released 2. As we shall
see in our results, Important variables are the transfer co-efficient α and the current density IL. According
to Lyu et al, [23] the transfer co-efficient α lies between 0 & 1, often being between 02 & 0.5 for actual
reactions. According to Colleen [24], the transfer co-efficient can be approximated to 0.5 in the absence of
experimental data. In our case, to observe the affect of the minimal possible value, we’ve taken it as 0.1.

Observing the simulink results, we can see a very steep curve, due to the current rapidly approaching the
current density. This signifies that as the current demands are higher, the fuel cell is not able to maintain
the desired voltage level. Key element of note is that curve abruptly stops along 1 A/cm2. This is
represented in the formula where the closer the current reaches the current density, the less the output
will be culminating in 0 value as its value approaches equal to current density. Thus, the current density if
what determines the voltage loss. The higher the demand, the more ‘cushion area’ and less steep the
curve will be. Another key factor is the transfer co-efficient. It is a co efficient which shows how much of
the fuel supply is directly fed into the cell. We have deliberately maintained a minimum value to show how
it causes a steeper but a lower magnitude decline. We expect higher values will yield greater losses. The
curve signifies a drop of -3.5x10-3 V.
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According to Lyu et al, [23] the actual Nernst voltage is an open circuit voltage and thus concentration
losses are often negligible. This is proven in our model where the loss magnitude is small and negligible.
At higher current densities & transfer co-efficients, much larger losses can be observed due to
overpotential rather than mass transfer differences along the catalyctic & membrane layers.
 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan

As stated before, a typical fuel cell works on the basis of chemical reaction involving the use of anodes
and cathodes to release electrons which are responsible for the output of electricity. This is different than
traditional thermal based energy sources that merely burn and combust away mass to cause an effective
 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan

transference of energy by converting the thermal energy into kinetic energy and then converting the
kinetic energy into electrical energy. The fuels in the fuel cell are chemical compounds & molecules,
Oxygen & Hydrogen in our case, that orbit electrons about their nucleus with great force. As such, some
energy must be provided & consumed in order to break apart these bonds and release electrons. Another
point of note is the overpotential of the cell which is the difference in voltage outpit between theoretical
and experimental analysis. This is wasted energy and must be accounted for. Ansari et al.[25], presented
a simplified form of the standard Butler-Vollmer & Tafel formulae for this by solving of constants & was
presented as:

Vactivation = β1 + β2T + β3ln(C02) + β4ln(I)

We can clearly see that 3 parameters play a major role in activation energy and overpotential of the fuel
cell; the fuel cell operating temperature, the current generated according to the desired voltage and the
reactant concentration. Both of these inputs were provided as ramp input blocks. A ramp input block
basically dictates that the value is rising exponentially as the process proceeds further on. This is to
simulate that the Temperature of the fuel cell is rising as the process continues on. This is naturally to be
expected as according to the second law of thermodynamics, no process can generate equal output to
the input. Some energy must always be wasted as heat. Yan et al. [26] found that maintaining a lower
spacing between the electrochemical active zones during cell fabrication & distances should be
compressed to a tighter space to minimize the activation losses since activation energy requirements will
decrease. Now it can be seen that there is an upward slope as the temperature continues rising. Thus, as
the fuel cell operation continues on, the loss rises. If we wish to study how each individual parameter
behaves, we can simply set the other parameters as a constant and study the corresponding output. By
setting the temperature block at a higher 140 C operating temperature, we can isolate the current factor.
According to Colleen [6], lower current densities show higher activation overpotential.

Nernst Voltage Above 1.1 V to 1.2 V threshold

Ohmic Voltage -0.1 V
Activation Voltage -0.2 V
Mass Transfer Voltage -3.5x10-3 V
Area & Resistance 35 cm2 & 0.1 Ohms/cm2
Cell Output 0.8965 V

Studying the output graph, we can clearly see the effect of current on the output voltage. Initially the
voltage output hinges around an approximate value of -0.09 V and then proceeds to further stoop
downwards as the process continues onwards, hovering around -0.2 V. This is to say that as we demand
higher current values, the voltage output shall consequently increase. This is also apparent from the -ve
present for the current value in the formula used. Now we wish to study how the operating temperature of
the fuel cell affects voltage. Apparent from both the formula and graph, it causes a linear rise in the
voltage loss till reaching the operating temperature.
13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan
 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan

4. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Of key note throughout the data is how we observed the most important parameters that affect our cell
voltage output and performance. Chief of them being cell operating temperature, current values required,
fuel pressures, & resistances. The fuel cell’s performance & losses must be optimized via adjustment of
the electrode and membrane area to minimize resistance, present proper cooling means and to keep a
close eye on the raw fuel provided to keep it at a moderate flow rate and pressure. It was observed how
the power output relies on the fuel input provided. Solar cells experienced above average sun exposure
hours along the equator, pairing proper azimuth angle and tilt angle with the nearby water sources leads
to a surplus of fuel supply to fuel cell. The water by-product can be employed both as water cooking for
fuel cell or to steam turbine. Heat transfer means & proper cooling means such as cross flow & fins to
optimize temperature also present a healthy opportunity to supply heating to the steam turbine. In regards
to the nearby rivers, lakes and other water bodies in farm environment, they provide optimum mass flow
rates for power generation. Additional heating for the water was provided by animal and plant refuse in
the farmhouse environment and led to a healthy mass flow rate of steam for efficient heat reuse.

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 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Production (ICH2P-2022)
December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan

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December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan
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December 11-14, 2022
Pakistan
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