Investigation of maritime PEM fuel cell system with carbon capture
This report presents the modeling of a 1 MW high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) system for LNG-powered marine vessels. The system utilizes methane from the LNG tank, which undergoes methane steam reforming followed by a water-gas shift reaction to produce hydrogen required for the fuel cell. The main goal is to simulate the system using Aspen Plus to study its performance based on important operational parameters. The results from the simulation will be compared with experimental data from the literature to check the accuracy of the model. A pinch analysis was also carried out to look at possible ways to improve heat integration, using the waste heat generated by the HT-PEMFC, which operates at 150C. This waste heat can be used to support a carbon capture process, which could help increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. The results show that integrating HT-PEMFC systems into marine vessels has strong potential for making transportation more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. By integrating it with carbon capture unit, carbon emissions from the vessels can be significantly reduced.