The hot-water piping route of a fuel cell energy network with a concentration installing method

The hot-water piping and heat release of two types of fuel cell energy network (FEN) installations were examined: a concentration installation FEN wherein a single fuel cell supplied power and heat to the entire network, and a partial distribution installation FEN wherein two fuel cells in two separate buildings were used. Results indicate the heat release loss of the hot-water piping network is so small that there is considerable heat delivery to the buildings linked to the FEN, and thus heat transport is both feasible and advantageous. Based on this analysis, as for heat release, the length of the hot-water piping was found to have greater significance than the order of the hot-water piping route. All the analytical results using a genetic algorithm indicated that the hot-water piping route with the shortest length was the optimal pathway. Moreover, if a fuel cell is installed in two buildings, the difference between the hot water and external temperatures will widen, causing the heat release of the hot-water piping network to rise correspondingly. (c) 2006 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.