A PEMFC-based combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system with flexible energy supply: Thermodynamic and economic analyses

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Main Authors: Wang, Yuanming, Deng, Shaowen, Chen, Rui, Zeng, Zhen, Wang, Tianyou, Che, Zhizhao
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Wang, Yuanming
Deng, Shaowen
Chen, Rui
Zeng, Zhen
Wang, Tianyou
Che, Zhizhao
author_facet Wang, Yuanming
Deng, Shaowen
Chen, Rui
Zeng, Zhen
Wang, Tianyou
Che, Zhizhao
contents Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems offer a key approach to hydrogen utilization, and PEMFC-based combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems pave the way for an efficient and clean energy supply to buildings. In conventional PEMFC-CCHP systems, the heating/cooling capacity and electrical power output are strongly coupled, making it difficult to meet diverse energy demands. This paper presents a novel energy system that integrates an organic Rankine cycle and an absorption heat pump in a parallel configuration, which enables flexible regulation of electricity-cooling capacities in summer and electricity-heating capacities in winter by adjusting the splitting ratio of the waste heat. The impacts of the splitting ratio and key operating parameters on thermodynamic performance and economic performance are quantitatively evaluated. The results show that the ORC can improve electrical efficiency by 2.19 percentage points in summer and 2.78 percentage points in winter. When the current density is fixed at 0.4 A/cm2 and the splitting ratio increases from 0 to 0.5, the cooling capacity of the system varies from 1294 to 647 W, and the heating capacity varies from 2660 to 1330 W. The economic performance is more sensitive to electricity price and hydrogen price than to other parameters, confirmed by their high sensitivity coefficients for net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR). This system possesses excellent thermodynamic and economic properties, thereby offering significant potential for reducing building energy consumption and carbon emissions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_24388
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A PEMFC-based combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system with flexible energy supply: Thermodynamic and economic analyses
Wang, Yuanming
Deng, Shaowen
Chen, Rui
Zeng, Zhen
Wang, Tianyou
Che, Zhizhao
Chemical Physics
Applied Physics
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems offer a key approach to hydrogen utilization, and PEMFC-based combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems pave the way for an efficient and clean energy supply to buildings. In conventional PEMFC-CCHP systems, the heating/cooling capacity and electrical power output are strongly coupled, making it difficult to meet diverse energy demands. This paper presents a novel energy system that integrates an organic Rankine cycle and an absorption heat pump in a parallel configuration, which enables flexible regulation of electricity-cooling capacities in summer and electricity-heating capacities in winter by adjusting the splitting ratio of the waste heat. The impacts of the splitting ratio and key operating parameters on thermodynamic performance and economic performance are quantitatively evaluated. The results show that the ORC can improve electrical efficiency by 2.19 percentage points in summer and 2.78 percentage points in winter. When the current density is fixed at 0.4 A/cm2 and the splitting ratio increases from 0 to 0.5, the cooling capacity of the system varies from 1294 to 647 W, and the heating capacity varies from 2660 to 1330 W. The economic performance is more sensitive to electricity price and hydrogen price than to other parameters, confirmed by their high sensitivity coefficients for net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR). This system possesses excellent thermodynamic and economic properties, thereby offering significant potential for reducing building energy consumption and carbon emissions.
title A PEMFC-based combined cooling heating and power (CCHP) system with flexible energy supply: Thermodynamic and economic analyses
topic Chemical Physics
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.24388