Theoretical and experimental investigations on thermal management of a PEMFC stack R. Cozzolino a, *, S.P. Cicconardi a , E. Galloni a , M. Minutillo b , A. Perna a a Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Cassino, Via G. Di Biasio, 43, Cassino, Italy b Department of Technology, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Centro Direzionale, Naples, Italy article info Article history: Received 28 April 2010 Received in revised form 6 December 2010 Accepted 10 January 2011 Available online 15 February 2011 Keywords: Micro-cogeneration system PEMFC Electrochemical modeling Thermal management CHP efficiency abstract In recent years micro-cogeneration systems (m-CHPs), based on fuel cells technology, have received increasing attention because, by providing both useful electricity and heat with high efficiency, even at partial loads, they can have a strategic role in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For residential applications, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), is considered the most promising, since it offers many advantages such as high power density, low operating temperature, and fast start-up and shutdown. In this paper the electrical and thermal behaviors of a PEMFC stack, suitable for m-CHP applications, have been investigated through experimental and numerical activity. The experimental activity has been carried out in a test station in which several measurement instruments and controlling devices are installed to define the behavior of a water-cooled PEMFC stack. The test station is equipped by a National Instruments Compact DAQ real-time data acquisition and control system running Labviewä software. The numerical activity has been conducted by using a model, properly developed by the authors, based on both electrochemical and thermal analysis. The experimental data have been used to validate the numerical model, which can support and address the experimental activity and can allow to forecast the behavior and the performance of the stack when it is a component in a more complex energy conversion system. Copyright ª 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In recent years, cogeneration systems (cogeneration of heat and power, CHP) have received increasing attention because, by providing both useful electricity and heat with high effi- ciency, they can have a strategic role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions according to the Kyoto protocol targets. In fact, the efficiency of energy conversion to useful heat and power is potentially greater than the efficiency of systems based on traditional technologies (boilers or furnaces and conventional fossil fuel fired power plants). If managed properly, this increased efficiency can result in lower costs and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Cogeneration also has the added advantage of diversifying electrical energy production, thus potentially improving security of energy supply [1]. The European union directive 2004/8/EC [2] requires Member States to promote and sustain the development of cogeneration systems characterized by a high efficiency and a low environmental impact. Micro-cogeneration (m-CHP) * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: r.cozzolino@unicas.it (R. Cozzolino), cicconardi@unicas.it (S.P. Cicconardi), galloni@unicas.it (E. Galloni), maria- giovanna.minutillo@uniparthenope.it (M. Minutillo), perna@unicas.it (A. Perna). Available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/he international journal of hydrogen energy 36 (2011) 8030 e8037 0360-3199/$ e see front matter Copyright ª 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.01.052