A comprehensive assessment of the hybrid power generation system of PEMFC and internal combustion engine based on ammonia decomposition

This study presents a hybrid power generation system that combines a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and an internal combustion engine (ICE), utilizing ammonia decomposition as the primary fuel source. The system comprises various components, including an ammonia decomposition subsystem, PEMFC, ICE, heat exchanger, solenoid valve, and power electronic converter. The research focuses on evaluating the system's performance by analyzing the impact of key thermodynamic parameters, such as decomposition temperature and separation ratio, as well as economic factors like ammonia and hydrogen prices, and service life. The findings reveal that the hybrid power generation system achieves a maximum output power of 16.23 kW and an efficiency of 50.28 %. Furthermore, it is observed that when the power ratio (α) between PEMFC and ICE is set to 1.2, the system achieves optimal electric power output. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for the system is calculated to be 0.0774 $ kWh−1 when the ammonia price is 0.35 $ kg−1. Additionally, the system exhibits a significant reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with an estimated decrease of 4.39 × 107 g. The hybrid power generation system has excellent thermodynamic, economic, and environmental performance, which lays a foundation for promoting the spread of high efficiency and zero pollution distributed hybrid power generation system.