Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2004.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tarud, Sofy, 1980-
Other Authors: Ernest G. Cravalho.
Format: Thesis
Language:en_US
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2005
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/27135
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author Tarud, Sofy, 1980-
author2 Ernest G. Cravalho.
author_facet Ernest G. Cravalho.
Tarud, Sofy, 1980-
author_sort Tarud, Sofy, 1980-
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description Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2004.
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spelling mit-1721.1/271352019-04-12T07:53:06Z Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications Tarud, Sofy, 1980- Ernest G. Cravalho. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Mechanical Engineering. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2004. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-110). Worldwide electricity consumption will nearly double between 2001 and 2025 but the projects to increase electricity production and transport will not be enough to fulfill the demand. In the future, most of the power demand will be produced by Distributed Generation (DG) systems. DG refers to power generating technologies independent from the electrical grid, located at or near the location where electricity is consumed. Fuel Cells have become very attractive DG systems in recent years, however, Fuel Cells are still in their early stages of deployment and the advantages and disadvantages of such systems for commercial applications are unclear. A study to learn how Fuel Cells perform in commercial buildings was conducted. To compare the effectiveness of fuel cells to other prime movers the study looked at Phosphoric Acid and Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells, microturbines, and lean burning reciprocating engines. First, the hotel's natural gas and electricity load data was analyzed to understand the requirements and adequately size the DG systems. After, the economics and efficiency of the plant was looked at with and without opportunity for cogeneration. Finally, a sensibility analysis was conducted to assess the variability of the plant's savings if some of the assumed parameters changed PAFC and MCFC, in baseload operation, with and without an absorption chiller are both very attractive technologies for a DG installation at the hotel if initial capital costs are reduced. The initial capital investment of fuel cells can and should be reduced, either by government and/or utility incentives or decreases in costs due to economies of scale. by Sofy Tarud. S.M. 2005-09-06T21:55:08Z 2005-09-06T21:55:08Z 2004 2004 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/27135 56889172 en_US M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 110 p. 5291198 bytes 5304281 bytes application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Mechanical Engineering.
Tarud, Sofy, 1980-
Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
title Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
title_full Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
title_fullStr Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
title_full_unstemmed Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
title_short Feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
title_sort feasibility of fuel cell systems for building applications
topic Mechanical Engineering.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/27135
work_keys_str_mv AT tarudsofy1980 feasibilityoffuelcellsystemsforbuildingapplications