A 1 MW fuel cell power plant began operation at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in January, 2007. The power plant was installed on campus to complement a Satellite Chiller Plant which is being constructed in response to increased cooling demands related to campus growth. The power plant consists of four 250 kW fuel cell units, and a waste heat recovery system which produces hot water for the campus. The waste heat recovery system was designed by CSUN’s Physical Plant Management personnel, in consultation with engineering faculty and students, to accommodate the operating conditions required by the fuel cell units as well as the thermal needs of the campus. A unique plenum system, known as a Barometric Thermal Trap, was created to mix the four fuel cell exhaust streams prior to flowing through a two stage heat exchanger unit. The two stage heat exchanger uses separate coils for recovering sensible and latent heat in the exhaust stream. The sensible heat is being used to partially supply the campus’ building hot water and space heating requirements. The latent heat is intended for use by an adjacent recreational facility at the University Student Union. This paper discusses plant performance data which was collected and analyzed over a several month period during 2008. Electrical efficiencies and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) efficiencies are presented. The data shows that CHP efficiencies have been consistently over 60%, with the potential to exceed 70% when planned improvements to the plant are completed.
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ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the Heat Transfer and InterPACK09 Conferences
July 19–23, 2009
San Francisco, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Advanced Energy Systems Division and Solar Energy Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4890-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Electrical and CHP Efficiencies of a 1 MW University Fuel Cell Power Plant Available to Purchase
Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan
California State University, Northridge, CA
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Robert Ryan
California State University, Northridge, CA
Paper No:
ES2009-90373, pp. 197-207; 11 pages
Published Online:
September 29, 2010
Citation
Ryan, R. "Electrical and CHP Efficiencies of a 1 MW University Fuel Cell Power Plant." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability collocated with the Heat Transfer and InterPACK09 Conferences. ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Volume 2. San Francisco, California, USA. July 19–23, 2009. pp. 197-207. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ES2009-90373
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