Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage2980-85373420170408Morphological and physical study of Cu-Ni sintered porous wicks used in heat pipes and fuel cells25526648110.22104/ijhfc.2017.481ENMonaMoayeriDepartment of Advanced Materials & Renewable Energy, Iranian Research Organization for Science and TechnologyAliKaflouDepartment of Advanced Materials & Renewable Energy, Iranian Research Organization for Science and TechnologyDavoodSadeghiDepartment of Chemical Technologies, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, TehranJournal Article20161016Recently, the use of renewable energies has increased to environmental pollution, limitation of fossil energy resources and energy security One of the means that enable us to use such energies is fuel cells (FC). However, there are many problems in the commercialization of FC from an economically and operation perspective. One of the most important problems is heat management. New heat pipes are being developed for this purpose. A heat pipe is made from a “porous coat” on a base metal. In this study, a Cu-Ni porous layer with a thickness of ~300µm was considered as the coating on a Cu-Ni base metal with two kinds of powder (mixed and ball milled). The morphology and physical properties of the coatings, such as porosity, permeability and effective thermal conductivity, were investigated. The best permeability was obtained for the base metals coated with powder which was ball milled for 6 hours. Thermal conductivity of samples increased (by 9.5%) when using ball milled powder. Porosity of coated samples decreased with ball milled powder in comparison to mixed powder.https://hfe.irost.ir/article_481_9461cce28ebe3e76fb4b931c35a169b0.pdfIranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage2980-85373420170408Exergy Analysis of a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell-Turbo Expander-Steam Turbine Hybrid Cycle26727948010.22104/ijhfc.2017.480ENHassan AliOzgoliInstitute of Mechanical Engineering, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), P.O. Box: 3353-5111, Tehran, IranJournal Article20160809Exergy analysis of an integrated molten carbonate fuel cell-turbo expander-steam turbine hybrid cycle has been presented in this study. The proposed cycle has been used as a sustainable energy approach to provide a micro hybrid power plant with high exergy efficiency. To generate electricity by the mentioned system, an externally reformed molten carbonate fuel cell located upstream of the combined cycle has been used. Furthermore, the turbo expander and steam turbine systems have been considered as topping and bottoming cycles for the purpose of cogeneration, respectively. Results show that the proposed system is capable of reaching a net delivered power of<em> </em>1125 kW, while the total exergy efficiency (including both electricity and heat) of this system is more than 68%. Moreover, the delivered power and exergy efficiency from the proposed cycle is stable against ambient temperature variations. In addition, the effect of a current density increase on cell voltage and total exergy destruction has been considered.https://hfe.irost.ir/article_480_6ea2ef7311b482724a9b7b0bc0dd85c6.pdfIranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage2980-85373420161201Effect of batch vs. continuous mode of operation on microbial desalination cell performance treating municipal wastewater28129047310.22104/ijhfc.2016.473ENAtiyehEbrahimiDepartment of Civil-Environmental Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, IranGhasemNajafpourBabol Noshirvani University of Technology0000-0001-9505-7146DaryoushKebriaDepartment of Civil-Environmental Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, IranJournal Article20170131Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) have great potential as a cost-effective and green technology for simultaneous water desalination, organic matter removal and energy production. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of a MDC under batch and continuous feeding conditions. Hence, power and current output, coulombic efficiency, electron harvest rate, desalination rate and COD removal were calculated during the operation. According to the obtained results, the MDC performance exhibited some changes when the reactor switched from batch to continuous mode. The continuously operated MDC indicated a maximum power density of 15.9 W.m<sup>-3</sup> and an average salt removal rate of 80%. In comparison, the batch MDC demonstrated the maximum power density and average salt removal rate of 13.9 W.m<sup>-3</sup> and 68.1%, respectively. In addition, 83.7% of COD was removed in the continuously fed MDC at a hydraulic retention time of two days, which was 13.8% more than amount of COD removed in MDC under a two days batch process. The obtained results revealed that enrichment of anolyte under controlled continuous feeding conditions would relatively improve the MDC performance. https://hfe.irost.ir/article_473_2050e03ca119580f74cca14cc6e97462.pdfIranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage2980-85373420161201Methanol steam reforming; Effects of various metal oxides on the properties of a Cu-based catalyst29129947410.22104/ijhfc.2016.474ENMohammad AliGhafouri RoozbahaniFaculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Lavizan, P.O. Box 15875-1774, Tehran, IranMahmoudZiaratimalek ashtar universityNahidKhandanDepartment of chemical technologies, Iranian Research Organization for Science & Technology (IROST), Tehran, Iran0000-0002-2563-1744Journal Article20161029Ternary Cu/ZnO/metal oxide catalysts are prepared through the co-precipitation method under strict control of parameters like pH, calcination conditions, and precipitation temperature in a systematic manner. The metal oxides applied in this study consist of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, ZrO<sub>2</sub>, La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and Ce<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. The distinction of this work in comparison with similar research is a comprehensive investigatation of the catalytic properties of metal oxides (including conversion, selectivity and stability) which have the potential for use in the methanol steam reforming process. The catalysts are characterized through XRD, SEM and BET. The prepared catalysts are applied in methanol steam reforming in a fixed bed reactor. A TGA analysis performed for all four catalysts determined that the Ce<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and ZrO<sub>2</sub> metal oxide catalysts showed the best results in terms of stability with a coke formation of 0.7wt% and 0.8wt%, respectively; and maximum surface area is related to Cu/ZnO/Ce<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, which can result in excellent stability and Cu dispersion. Overall, the obtained results indicate that the ZrO<sub>2</sub> metal oxide catalyst is the best candidate to be applied in methanol steam reforming due to its higher activity, selectivity and yield. The hydrogen selectivity and yield of Cu/ZnO/ZrO<sub>2</sub> after 6 hours of experiment were 80.02% and 46.4%, respectively.https://hfe.irost.ir/article_474_25ddc0f8c9d3e22e03d3076f98d83cb2.pdfIranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage2980-85373420161201Effect of recycling solid oxide fuel cell products on the performance of a SOFC-Gas turbine hybrid system30131348610.22104/ijhfc.2016.486ENMortezaRajabinasabInstitute of Energy, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, IranMehranAmeriDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, IranMasoudIranmaneshInstitute of Energy, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, IranSaberSadeghiDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, IranJournal Article20170206In this study, the effect of recycling fuel cell products on the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell and gas turbine (SOFC-GT) hybrid system was investigated. Three types of products recycling are considered: cathode products recycling (CPR), anode products recycling (APR), and both cathode and anode products recycling (BACPR). In the present work, operating temperature and limiting current density was calculated from governing equations by the trial and error method. Furthermore, the effect of pressure ratio and air utilization factor on the performance of the SOFC-GT hybrid system is considered. Results show that CPR has more effect on the performance of hybrid systems than APR. The total electrical efficiency of the hybrid system increases as the cathode recycle ratio (CRR) increases and decreases as the anode recycle ratio (ARR) decreases. In addition, results show that the hybrid system with BACPR can achieve a higher overall electrical efficiency of approximately 75%.https://hfe.irost.ir/article_486_7d04bbbe5494ae9d2f5a76aa1c00fa2f.pdfIranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage2980-85373420170527Investigation of the catalytic performance and coke formation of nanocrystalline Ni/SrO-Al2O3 catalyst in dry reforming of methane31532248810.22104/ijhfc.2017.488ENElahehAmirCatalyst and Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of KashanMehranRezaeiCatalyst and Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of KashanFereshtehMeshkaniCatalyst and Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of KashanJournal Article20170116In this study, nickel catalysts supported on mesoporous nanocrystalline gamma alumina promoted by various strontium contents were prepared by the impregnation method and employed in dry reforming of methane (DRM). The prepared catalysts were characterized using N2 adsorption (BET), temperature-programmed reduction and oxidation (TPR,) and oxidation (TPDTPO), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. TPR analysis revealed that the increases in Sr content enhanced the reducibility of the catalysts. The obtained results indicated that increasing Sr content increased both the methane and carbon dioxide conversions. In addition, the CO2 conversion was higher than the CH4 conversion due to the occurrence of the reverse water gas shift reaction. Among the studied catalysts, Ni/10% Sr-Al2O3 exhibited the highest catalytic activity and the lowest carbon formation. This catalyst showed high stability without any decrease in methane conversion up to 12 h of reaction. The results of this study could be employed in developing an industrial catalyst for the dry reforming reaction.https://hfe.irost.ir/article_488_c3c59e5f8b3e9753913f4d435b53c308.pdf