Synthesizing Models of Power Yield in Thermo-Electro-Chemical Systems

This investigation offers a synthesizing thermodynamic approach to modeling, simulation and power maximization in various energy converters, such as thermal, solar and chemical engines and fuel cells. Thermodynamic analyses lead to efficiencies in terms of propelling fluxes. Efficiency equations are applied to determine maxima of power integrals (work) in dynamical systems, which work with upgrading and downgrading of a resource medium. While optimization of static systems requires using of differential calculus and Lagrange multipliers, dynamic optimization involves variational calculus and dynamic programming. In reacting mixtures balances of mass and energy are applied to derive power yield in terms of an active part of chemical affinity. Power maximization approach is also applied for fuel cells. Maximum power data provide power limits for SOFC energy generators.