Patent Reveals Breakthrough in Marine Fuel Cell-Based Integrated Heat, Electricity, and Cooling Supply System

Strategic Insights -

In a breakthrough development, a Chinese patent has been published that discloses a marine fuel cell-based integrated heat, electricity, and cooling supply system. The system, developed by a team of engineers from Wuhan Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd., aims to address the technical problem of low overall energy utilization efficiency in existing marine fuel cell-based systems.

According to the patent, the system comprises a power supply system and a waste heat recovery system. The power supply system generates electricity using wind energy, solar energy, and hydrogen-based fuel, while the waste heat recovery system utilizes waste heat produced by the fuel cell power module to generate electricity, provide cooling, and heating. The system also employs a turbine power generation module, a lithium bromide refrigeration module, and a solid oxide fuel cell power generation module to achieve high efficiency and power density.

Key Takeaways:

  • The marine fuel cell-based integrated heat, electricity, and cooling supply system addresses the technical problem of low overall energy utilization efficiency in existing marine fuel cell-based systems.
  • The system comprises a power supply system and a waste heat recovery system, which utilize wind energy, solar energy, and hydrogen-based fuel to generate electricity and waste heat produced by the fuel cell power module to provide cooling and heating.
  • The system employs a turbine power generation module, a lithium bromide refrigeration module, and a solid oxide fuel cell power generation module to achieve high efficiency and power density.
  • The system has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in the shipping industry, as it utilizes low-carbon and zero-carbon fuels such as LNG, methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen.
  • The patent has been filed by Wuhan Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd. and has been published online on April 29, 2025.

Statistics:

  • The patent has been filed by 6 inventors, including Peng, Bingrong, Wang, Di, Wang, Zhen, Xu, Lingyi, and Zhao, Tengfei.
  • The patent has been published online on April 29, 2025, with patent number 12286205.
  • The system has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in the shipping industry by 11% to 100%.
  • The system utilizes wind energy, solar energy, and hydrogen-based fuel to generate electricity, and waste heat produced by the fuel cell power module to provide cooling and heating.

Sources:

  • Peng, Bingrong. Marine fuel cell-based integrated heat, electricity, and cooling supply system. U.S. Patent Number 12286205, filed December 19, 2024, and published online on April 29, 2025. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(12286205)&db=USPAT&type=ids