A novel triple-cycle system based on high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell, thermoelectric generator, and thermally regenerative electrochemical refrigerator for power and cooling cogeneration

To effectively utilize the exhaust heat of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) for cooling, a novel triple-cycle system model mainly including a HT-PEMFC, thermoelectric generator (TEG), and thermally regenerative electrochemical refrigerator (TRER) is theoretically formulated. The TEG activated by the HT-PEMFC exhaust heat is used to drive the TRER for cooling. Considering irreversible losses in the HT-PEMFC, TEG, and TRER and among these subsystems, mathematical formulas of the energetic and exergetic performance indexes are obtained. Calculation results show that compared with a sole HT-PEMFC system, the equivalent power density, energetic efficiency, and exergetic efficiency for the triple-cycle system increase by 16.0%, 12.6%, and 12.7%, respectively. The exergy destruction rate density reduces by 1.0%. Finally, sensitivity analysis of seven key parameters is conducted. This study can provide a valuable guide for the design of actual triple-cycle systems based on HT-PEMFCs for power and cooling cogeneration.