Water neutrality and waste heat management in ethanol reformer - HTPEMFC integrated system for on-board hydrogen generation

On-board power generation for vehicular applications requires a compact, simplified and well-integrated fuel processor-fuel cell system. In the present paper, the integration of an ethanol reformer unit with a 50 kWe high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell is studied for potential automotive applications. A high-efficiency dual reformer system is used for on-board production of hydrogen from ethanol. Heat transfer equipment for recovery of water and effective utilization of waste heat has been incorporated into the integrated system. Detailed analysis using ASPEN simulations shows that gross system efficiencies of up to 39% can be achieved. Estimates of size, weight of the integrated system have been made to assess its suitability for application as auxiliary power units in automotive systems.