A comprehensive review of alkaline, proton exchange membrane, molten carbonate, and phosphoric acid fuel cells: energy, exergy, economic, and environmental assessment
Journal of Power Sources, cilt.690, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Cilt numarası: 690
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.240863
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Power Sources
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Economic analysis, Electrolyte, Energy and exergy efficiency, Environmental analysis, Fuel cells, Hydrogen energy
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This review examines how electrolyte structure affects the 4E (energy, exergy, economic, environmental) performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs), Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFCs), and Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFCs). No single technology outperforms others across all criteria; performance depends on electrolyte type, operating temperature, and hybrid integration. AFCs rank highest in standalone electrical efficiency (60–70%) under optimized laboratory conditions, followed by MCFCs and PEMFCs (40–60%), with PAFCs having the lowest efficiency (35–50%). Practical energy efficiency ranges 40–60%, while optimized systems achieve 72.4% energy and 85.22% exergy efficiency. Total energy efficiencies reach 92% in hybrid cogeneration systems and 97.57% in megawatt-scale applications. The stack and heat exchangers are the main sources of exergy destruction. Electricity costs can fall below $0.08/kWh under favorable assumptions of low capital cost, high efficiency, and low hydrogen cost. PEMFCs reduce CO2 emissions by ∼191 tons annually, while renewable-ammonia AFCs achieve over 80% emission reduction and up to 230% higher power density. MCFCs offer unique carbon capture capability, achieving 70–85% CO2 reduction in integrated natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) and coal-based systems based on modeling studies. PAFCs show high durability (>20,000 h) in stationary cogeneration, while hybrid systems improve performance.