https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/20 Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:04:33 GMT 2026-04-26T21:04:33Z https://luck.synhera.be:443/bitstream/id/b7bd2e93-d994-4bb7-baf6-368fd049fbb7/ https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/20 https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/3000 Simplified test bench for experimental investigations of space heating appliances Paulus, Nicolas; Lemort, Vincent The energy transition requires efficient space heating appliances. In that context, it is common that thermodynamics laboratories are asked to conduct experimental investigations on those appliances to establish or verify their performance. This paper aims to offer and report an example of a very simple test rig that allows for controlling both the space heating water flow rate and the space heating return temperature. Space heating depart temperature thus depends on those two controlled parameters as well as the heat transfer rate provided by the space heating appliance, based on its settings. The test rig described in this paper has been used to conduct experimental studies on residential Solid Oxide Fuel Cells used as micro-cogeneration units. It has the advantage of being reproductible or reused with other residential space heating appliances. It can easily be adapted for refrigeration appliances testing or even heat exchanger characterization Also, the test rig controlling the space heating flow rate and working temperature implies an approximative cost of only about 1 k€ (with 2021 hardware prices, without the space heating appliance to be tested). Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/3000 2023-05-01T00:00:00Z https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/2999 Grid-impact factors of field-tested residential Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell systems Paulus, Nicolas; Lemort, Vincent Much needed energy transition currently brings focus on micro-combined heat and power (mCHP) systems for residential uses, especially on low-capacity fuel cells (about 1 kWel) because it has been reported that they allow for increased CO2 savings per kWel compared to engine-based mCHP’s [1]. One of those (already commercialized), is a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system hybridized with a conventional gas condensing boiler. It is fed by natural gas; it is designed to cover all the heat demands of residential houses as well as to participate locally in the electrical production. Thanks to high integration levels, it combines a PEMFC of nominal constant power of 0.75kWel and 1.1kWth, a 220L DHW (Domestic Hot Water) tank and a condensing gas boiler, mainly used for peak heat demands, that designed to provide up to 30.8kWth. The financial incentive representing a major factor in the investor’s decision towards such a technological change, focus will indeed be brought on supply and demand cover factors since they are directly linked to how much the citizens are individually billed and since they constitute actual and future unavoidable keys in the energy transition, as more and more intermittent renewable energies will be integrated to the energetic mix. This study is monitoring two of those installations in residential houses in Belgium, arbitrary chosen, for the whole year 2020. Sampling time of the monitoring hardware is between 2 and 5 minutes but it has been chosen to analyse the grid impacts factors according to average daily values (along with their seasonal trend and yearly figures). This paper has established yearly supply cover factors between 34 and 36%, which are believed to be higher (based upon literature) that what typical photovoltaics (PV) power plants would have allowed. It unfortunately remains lower than the 37.46% “prosumer” limit considered in the tariffication of Wallonia PV installations [2]. On the other hand, this paper has established yearly demand cover factors of 25 and 33%. Sun, 15 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/2999 2022-05-15T00:00:00Z https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/2998 Decarbonization potential of fuel cell technologies in micro-cogeneration applications: spotlight on SOFCs in a Belgian case study Nicolas Paulus There is a plethora of fuel cell technologies, many of which hold great promise in terms of their decarbonisation potential, which this paper aims to explore. In fact, this paper is primarily based on the only two existing technologies on the market, polymer exchange membrane fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Unfortunately, these commercial systems mainly use natural gas as primary fuel due to its cost and practicality (easy transport and storage, existing infrastructures, etc). Using Belgium as a case study, this paper shows that their GHG mitigation potential remains rather insignificant compared to the average individual carbon footprint if their fuel is not decarbonised. Even so, their mitigation potential would still be far from sufficient, and other measures, including behavioural changes, would still need to be implemented. Nevertheless, some emerging fuel cell technologies, such as direct carbon SOFCs (DC-SOFCs) or direct formic acid fuel cells, offer the possibility of facilitating pure CO2 capture at their anode outlet, thus allowing for potential negative emissions. Using a case study of the electricity demand of an average Belgian home (with two adults) supplied by an efficient biomass-fuelled DC-SOFC, this paper shows that these negative emissions could be up to about 4 tCO2eq yr−1 . By comparison, the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report estimated the emissions footprint that could never be mitigated, even with future net-zero CO2 emissions, to be 1 tCO2eq yr−1 per capita, implying that climate neutrality will require similar levels of carbon sequestration. In populous Western countries, natural carbon sinks are unlikely to be sufficient, and the potential negative emissions of emerging fuel cell technologies will be welcome. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/2998 2025-01-30T00:00:00Z https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/2988 Post-Process Local Porous Silicon Integration Method for RF Application Scheen, Gilles; Tuyaerts, Romain; Nyssens, Lucas; Rack, Martin; Rasson, J; Raskin, JP Proceedings de IMS 19 Sun, 02 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://luck.synhera.be/handle/123456789/2988 2019-06-02T00:00:00Z