HEAT-RECOVERY FROM FUEL-CELL EXHAUST-GAS FOR COOLING TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT

Heat recovery methods and the amount of heat that can be recovered from fuel cell exhaust gas is described. The cooling performance of an absorption refrigerator that uses fuel cell waste heat is also described. Two heat recovery methods from the exhaust gas are considered: one uses heat recovery from mixed exhaust gas from the cathode side of the cells and the reformer (mixed type); the other uses separate heat recovery from these sites (separate type). Simulation shows that the amount of heat recovered between 60 and 75-degrees-C with the separate type of heat recovery is greater than with the mixed type of heat recovery. The cooling capacity of the refrigerator using the separate type heat recovery and recovering heat between 65 and 85-degrees-C is about 2.5 times that of one using a generator (heat source) with a constant 85-degrees-C temperature.